Apollonia
by Dr Heathbrook
Summary: The oldest story in the book. A Gerudo and a Hylian. Comments appreciated. Newly updated in May 2011... it's a miracle!
1. Introduction & Chapter One

Apollonia

by K.T. Släger

**Introduction**

Welcome. Take a seat.

I wrote the first version of this fan fiction almost exactly seven years ago, when I was but a youth, under the title "Apionia". Now that the main character's name has changed, and I've grown much better in my writing, I've decided to revise the story. I hope it's a little more grown-up, and a little more interesting. Even though I'm technically an adult now, the Gerudo will always have a special place in my heart for being a kick-ass tribe of redheaded women and fueling my thirst for adventure.

The story takes place about thirty-five years before Zelda or Link were even born, as a young Ganondorf has just taken his throne as king of the Gerudo people...

. . -=-=-=-=-=_-*-_=-=-=-=-=- . .

**Chapter One**

He never meant to cause an uproar. In fact, that was the last thing he wanted to do. The young Hylian man had been passing by Gerudo Valley on his way back from hunting in the field. Unfortunately, he was returning empty-handed: there were no deer to be found at this time of year, and his aim with a bow and arrow was still bad enough that he missed not one, not two, but four hares hiding in the grass. As the sun began to set, he resignedly mounted his horse and headed back towards the castle town.

Eerie shadows stretched from the rocks forming the entrance to Gerudo Valley. The young Hylian slowed his horse as he neared the valley, glancing in its direction. The rock walls, already a deep-orange color during the day, glowed blood-red in the coming twilight. A salamander skittered over a nearby rock and into a dead thorn bush.

Curious. Dyla had never been to Gerudo Valley, nor the vast desert that lay beyond it. In fact, he had never seen a Gerudo. At least... he had never seen one close up. He remembered a time several years ago, when he was about six or seven, that he had been out riding in Hyrule Field with his now-dead father. Off in the distance, over the crest of a hill, they spotted them: a band of Gerudo women on horseback all clad in flowing black robes, holding aloft their scimitars, blades glinting in the sun. They galloped across the field with wild abandon back towards their hideout, having just committed some sort of thievery or murder or what have you. At that time, Dyla's father warned him never to consort with women like that, Gerudo or not. _Unnatural_, he had said, _it's just plain unnatural_.

Now here he was, within spitting distance of their closely-guarded canyon. Dyla twisted himself around in his saddle, glancing all around him for any sign of a Gerudo. Nothing. No one. He listened. From a dying tree, a crow let out a laughing cackle and then took off towards the sunset.

Oh, he had to take just a look, now that he was so close.

It was nearly dusk at this time. The castle town was still some distance away, and here he was wasting time. _But the valley... _It was rumored that there was a shortcut to the castle town from Gerudo Valley. Some said that was how the Gerudo made such efficient robberies. Of course, no one ventured into the valley, lest they be stabbed to death.

He wouldn't be caught. He would ride quickly. Without another thought, Dyla flicked the reins, bringing his chestnut stallion back to attention. The horse gave a little whinny as Dyla dug his heels into its sides and they galloped into the valley.

Dyla urged his horse over the rocky, uneven ground, the stone walls closing in around them. Here in the confines of the valley, it was virtually night already, as the sun couldn't pierce the tall rock. Dyla searched for a passage in the general direction of Hyrule Castle, but there was none to be found. As he entered deep into the valley, he became more disoriented. Not even the smoky south face of Death Mountain was visible from here. Dyla slowed his horse to a trot, and then to a walk, and then they stopped altogether as he searched fruitlessly for any sign of familiarity amongst the rocks. Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

Before Dyla had time to reconsider his plan and turn back, he heard in the distance a cacophony of hooves pounding against the valley floor. _Oh, no. Not possible... _

Fearing the worst, Dyla yanked on the horse's reins and steered it back they way they had come. Wait, no... that was where the sound was coming from, and it was getting louder. Frantically, Dyla searched for a hiding place. A little ways up a slope he spotted a large gray boulder that looked big enough to conceal both him and the horse. Desperate not to be caught by the Gerudo –– if Gerudo they were –– he slid from the horse's back, grabbed the reins, and pulled the large animal up the slope towards the boulder. The horse wasn't buying this: it dug its heels into the ground and shook its head from side to side, trying to shake off the unpleasant feeling of being yanked forward.

"Oh, come _on_," Dyla muttered, pulling harder. Reluctantly the horse followed Dyla up the hill.

Moments later, the band of Gerudo came rushing around the corner. The valley filled with the echo of horses' galloping. The sound thundered so loudly that Dyla almost couldn't stand it. Quickly he ducked out of sight, hoping that no one would notice him. He was wrapped in a brown cloak, and his horse was brown –– perhaps they blended in enough with the rocks as to not be noticed. Perhaps.

There were maybe seven or eight Gerudo in all, each one dressed in black and mounted atop some of the most beautiful mares in the country. Some held scimitar; others, bows with quivers of arrows strapped to their backs. They all wore shrouds covering most of their faces and hoods concealing their hair except for the tip of a bright-red ponytail peeking out here and there. As they entered the valley, the band slowed and eventually stopped, a few hundred yards away from Dyla's hiding place. Dyla peered around the side of the boulder at them.

They had stopped just in front of a yawning, bottomless canyon. A rope-and-plank bridge spanned its length. Dyla could see the group of Gerudo milling around the edge of the canyon, triumphantly slapping each other on the back and laughing amongst themselves. Their voices carried through the valley.

"That was excellent," he could faintly hear one of them say.

"_Excellent_," agreed another, pounding the base of her long-staffed scimitar into the ground. "I told you that old man had a prime stash. "

"An' he didn't put up a fight, neither," said yet another, balancing a large sack on her back.

"Well, not _much _of a fight." They laughed.

The tallest Gerudo –– the leader, perhaps –– motioned them forward. "Come on, Hellime's waiting." She went ahead and slowly directed her horse over the bridge. The unsteady structure swayed back and forth, but she made it safely to the other side. One by one, the Gerudo crossed the bridge.

Dyla felt his breath coming back to him. He hadn't been caught. These Gerudo, though... they fascinated him. For a moment –– for one _mad_ moment –– he considered following them across the bridge and seeing what their hideout looked like, but that would have spelled certain death. As he adjusted himself, trying to get a better look at the remaining Gerudo, his foot slipped, shifting a bed of pebbles. A few of the rocks tumbled down the slope towards the floor of the valley.

One of the Gerudo turned her head at the noise. "What was that?"

No, she couldn't have heard _that_. The other remaining Gerudo glanced at her. "What?"

"Shh... "

Dyla remained as still as possible. He didn't even breathe, lest they hear that, too. His horse, however, was oblivious as to the danger, and let out a healthy _whinny_. No one would have missed it.

The Gerudo said nothing, but Dyla could see her stiffening and the sound. She slowly drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and loaded it into her bow.

Silence enveloped the canyon.

_No_, thought Dyla. _No, no, no_. He didn't know _why_ he was saying no. But the denial helped him stay quiet.

Behind him, his horse casually kicked a rock down the hill. It hit another, larger rock, which hit another... and well, at that point Dyla decided that running would be better than hiding. He grabbed his horse by the neck and swung onto its back. He felt something whiz past his ear and saw a freshly-shot arrow shuddering in the ground next to him. No time to think. Run. _Run_.

The horse barreled down the slope, Dyla barely seated atop it. He headed back they way he had entered, hooves pummeling the earth, praying that his horse was faster than any Gerudo mare. As he burst into Hyrule field, he stole a glance behind him. Close in pursuit was a single black-clad rider, her own horse quickly catching up with his.

_Go. Go. Go, go, go_... His silent pleas didn't seem to be working. "Come on, _come on_... " He could see Death Mountain in the distance. And the castle town walls, they weren't far ––

Dyla was blinded for a moment as something crashed into him, knocking him off his horse. He fell hard to the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him, and felt strong arms pinning him down. Then, a metallic _shing_ as the Gerudo pulled out one of her scimitar from the crossed sheaths on her back and held it against his neck.

Dyla gasped for breath and inched away from the Gerudo's blade, trying to avoid having his throat cut. "Don't!" he managed to say, his own voice sounding pitiful. "Don't –– I ––"

"You _what?_" demanded the Gerudo. Dyla could not see her face, as it was covered in a black veil, but he could see her piercing yellow eyes staring down at him. "Don't _what? _You filthy trespasser!"

"I wasn't trespassing," choked Dyla. He struggled to find his dagger, which was concealed somewhere in his cloak.

"Oh, no? Then what were you doing?" The Gerudo narrowed her eyes and pressed the edge of the blade against his skin. "Trying to break into our hideout?"

"No, no, I just –– I wanted to see ––"

"Just wanted to see what we looked like, is that it?" said the Gerudo. "Wanted to see the pretty Gerudo women, huh? Is that all you think we are?"

"No, I –– I wasn't doing anything. " Dyla pushed all his weight against the Gerudo, trying to get her off, but she was surprisingly strong. "Please –– just let me go. "

The Gerudo said nothing for a moment. In the distance, as the sun finally slid below the horizon, a lone wolf howl sounded in the distance. Then she chuckled. "Boy, do you know of anyone who's ever seen a Gerudo up-close?"

"N-no... "

"Or talked to one?"

"No, of course not ––"

"That's because we don't usually leave trespassers alive."

Dyla said nothing in response. So, this was how he was going to die. Slain by a beautiful woman. Well... he _supposed_ she was beautiful. He could only see her eyes, but he knew that _they_ were indeed lovely. Not such a bad way to go. "Alright ––" he began to say, but was interrupted as the ground burst open a few feet away and a stubby, grimy skeleton clawed its way out of the soil.

"Shit," said the Gerudo, releasing Dyla from her grip and jumping to her feet. As the skeleton charged towards him, she swung her scimitar, decapitating it immediately. The head fell to the ground, but the body of the skeleton toddled around blindly.

Another skeleton unearthed itself behind Dyla; he sprang up, surprised, and darted away, but there was really nowhere to run as yet another skeleton popped up nearby, and another, and another. The Gerudo kept swiping at the skeletons as they appeared, chopping off various limbs and heads, while Dyla did his best to dodge them all together. One of the skeletons got a little too close to the Gerudo and swiped her in the arm. She didn't cry out, only gave a quick hiss, and stabbed the skeleton in its ribcage, which only slowed it down.

Dyla whirled all around, looking for some safe haven. A little bit away from them was a low, crumbling stone wall, something that had probably been part of a house at some time. It might do.

"Hey –– come on!" he called towards the Gerudo as he ran to the wall and climbed atop it. The skeletons, some headless or limbless, swarmed around him but couldn't reach him. "Come on!" he said again. "They can't get us up here. "

With one last strike, the Gerudo fled and joined Dyla atop the wall. She leapt and landed gracefully on the crumbling stone structure. Dyla could see she was breathing heavily from the exertion, and her arm had been cut deeply. Blood seeped through the tear in her black shroud.

They sat there for a minute, catching their breath. The two horses, long forgotten, stood chewing on grass nearby, not bothered by the skeletons at all.

"That figures," said the Gerudo, gesturing off towards the horses. She slid her grimy scimitar into its sheath. Then, after a moment of thought, pulled the heavy crossed-sheaths from her back and set them on the wall. She glanced over at Dyla with those yellow eyes. "I won't kill you yet," she said, tearing off a piece of her shroud and wrapping it around the cut on her arm.

"Yet?"

"Yeah." She adjusted the veil over her face. "You're still a trespasser. "

Dyla stared at her, trying to see through the blackness of the veil. He could barely see a row of blunt red bangs above her eyes. And her brows –– sharply angled, a few shades darker than her hair. He longed to see the rest of her face. "I... " he began, but didn't know how to continue. "I really wasn't doing anything in your valley. "

"No?"

"No. I was just passing through. "

The Gerudo nodded, and Dyla could see a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Just passing through," she repeated. "Well, don't you dare pass through again, you hear?"

"I hear. "

Again there was an awkward silence. Below them the rabble of skeletons had quieted down, occasionally staring up at them like eager puppies. They wouldn't be gone until the first light of dawn. Dyla sighed. It was going to be a long night unless he made a run for it now. He glanced over at his horse, which was slowly wandering further and further away as it grazed.

"I guess we're stuck here, huh?" the Gerudo said suddenly. Dyla turned towards her. he was crouched defensively on top of the wall, arms hanging loosely in front of her, long, calloused fingers curling gently, ending in sharp nails.

"Yes, I suppose we are. " He paused. "What's your name?"

The Gerudo narrowed her eyes. "Like I'd tell you. "

"Just trying to pass the time," Dyla muttered. He hesitated before offering: "I'm Dyla."

"Dyla," repeated the Gerudo. "You from Kakariko?"

"No, the castle town. I was born in Kakariko, though. "

"Ah." The Gerudo nodded. Again, silence.

_Oh, boy_.

"And... you are...?" asked Dyla.

She only stared at him.

"Come on... please," he said. "If we're going to be up here all night, I'd rather know who you were. If you could take off that hood ––"

"Are you crazy?" said the Gerudo. "Then I'd _really_ have to kill you. "

"Then at least a name," said Dyla. "Please. "

She considered this. Her long lashes blinked thoughtfully over unnatural eyes. Dyla was beginning to love those eyes, and yearned to see the rest of her. He nearly lifted his hand to lower her veil, but stopped himself as she finally nodded.

"Apollonia," she said.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"Apollonia," he echoed softly. _Apollonia_. Pretty. Musical. "Apollonia. "

"Yes, Apollonia," she cut in, sounding somewhat annoyed at his parroting. "Now will you stop bothering me?"

"I guess so," Dyla said.

She let out a _hmmp_ and turned away, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She wore cloth trousers, not a skirt; frayed at the ends, smeared with dirt and who-knows-what-else. Small slipper-like shoes with a slightly upturned toe. Nothing like Dyla had ever seen in the castle town or in Kakariko, but then again, it didn't seem like Gerudo were much like Hylians at _all_.

As time passed, the moon rose high into the sky, washing the field in bluish light. Dyla, having grown tired and hungry, carefully stretched and laid down along the length of the wall. _Might as well get some sleep_.

When he closed his eyes, however, he found that he couldn't keep them closed for long. The kept snapping open as he glanced over at Apollonia again and again. She still had two frightful blades, after all. What would stop her stabbing him while he slept? Nothing.

Then again, what stopped her from stabbing him up until now?

After a long time of deliberating this, there was nothing he could do to prevent his eyelids from fluttering closed. _Too tired. Maybe she'll kill me. At least then I could get some rest. _

He awoke some time later to see a violet sky above him: sunrise. Dyla sat up, his spine cracking. His limbs still felt half-asleep. Now that the sun was out, the skeletons –– which had been more annoying than threatening –– had disappeared completely, now lying dormant under the ground until night came again.

Dyla yawned and stretched his sore back. And in the midst of a stretch, he remembered what had happened. His eyes fell onto the sleeping form of the Gerudo.

He had expected her to stay awake all night. Or to be gone when he woke. But no, Apollonia was sprawled on top of the wall much like he was, clutching her scimitar in her arms. Her black hood had fallen back sometime during the night, revealing a head of shocking red hair. It hung in an impossibly long ponytail off the side of the wall, held together by an intricately-jeweled band. Her bangs were askew over her forehead; her eyes, just as beautiful as he remembered them, even though they were closed. Long, black lashes. Her skin was so much tanner than his –– he felt nearly albino sitting next to her –– probably it was because of the Gerudo race's exposure to the desert sun. Something compelled him –– he didn't know what –– but in a moment he found himself reaching out towards Apollonia's sweet face. He hooked one finger over the top of her black veil... and lowered it.

Dyla didn't know what he had been expecting. Something horrible, perhaps? For a moment he thought that all the Gerudo might have hideous, toothy beaks or something, and that was why they all wore hoods and veils. But no –– as he gently pulled back the veil, first he saw a long, lovely nose. And then an ear hiding amongst the nest of red hair –– it was strangely tiny, rounded, not pointed, and was pierced with several rings and emerald studs. And then, removing the veil completely, her lips: incredibly full, lustrous lips, painted red to match her fiery hair. Her mouth was open only slightly, showing just a hint of her front teeth. Dyla could feel her gentle, steady breath against his hand as he hesitated over Apollonia's lips. She... she wouldn't notice if he just...

Her eyes snapped open. Before Dyla could react, she grabbed him by the wrist, jerked his arm in a direction that caused him to lose his balance, and tossed him off the wall. Dyla landed hard, just like he had after being tackled the previous evening.

"_What are you doing?_" she screeched, jumping off the wall and trying to yank out one of her scimitar. "You ––" Suddenly, she clapped her hand over her exposed mouth and glared sharply at him. "Just _what_ did you think you were doing?" she demanded, voice muffled.

"I'm sorry," Dyla said, not sorry one bit. "I just... I had to..."

"You son of a bitch," she hissed. Without another word, she yanked her hood back over her head and buried her face in her veil. As Dyla lay sputtering on the ground, she ran over to her horse, mounted it, and galloped off.

Dyla watched her disappear into the distance. He was still sitting stupidly in the grass, wondering what the hell had just happened. Why was she so defensive about him seeing her? He wouldn't tell anyone about her. There was no reason for her to conceal her identity.

Wearily, Dyla stood up and hobbled over to his own horse, who was dining on a breakfast of yellow grass. He patted the horse on the neck. "You've been a real help, buddy, you know that?" he said. The horse merely snorted and pulled up another mouthful of grass.

The Hylian sighed and pulled himself up onto his horse. People might be beginning to wonder what had happened to him.

. . -=-=-=-=-=_-*-_=-=-=-=-=- . .

Apollonia didn't let her mare slow down until they were well out of Hyrule field. Her face was still burning with embarrassment and rage. _How dare he_, she thought. _That bastard_.

She yanked on the reins and her horse, Diamond, skittered to a stop in front of the bridge spanning the canyon. "Bastard," she said aloud. She should have killed him. Normally any Gerudo would have killed him much earlier in the ordeal –– as soon as he hit the ground after tackling him. She had the blade to his throat, _why_ didn't she kill him?

Apollonia closed her eyes and took a calming breath through her nose. She knew why she didn't kill him. She had never killed anyone before. She was barely seventeen years old and it hadn't been long since she had completed her training. Skeletons and animals and dummies she was fine with. But a Hylian? She simply couldn't.

_No use worrying about it now_. If he were ever to show his sorry face around Gerudo territory again, one of the other ladies would take care of him. Without a doubt. Apollonia pushed the memories of the previous night out of her mind and crossed the bridge, entering the perimeter of their stronghold.

Ah... home. Gerudo Fortress was a collection of pueblo-style dwellings built right into the living mountain. Beyond the fortress was the huge gate blocking the way into the desert. Beyond that laid the sacred Spirit Temple with its giant goddess statues. Apollonia could already feel the difference in the air: drier, fresher... grittier. She rode Diamond toward the stables, passing several Gerudo guards on the way, who greeted her as she went.

"Hey, Apollonia!"

" 'Morning!"

"Out early, huh?"

Apollonia smiled at them, trying to remain pleasant even though she still burned inside. She hopped off Diamond and entered the dim stables. Here, out of the sun and sand, she lowered her hood and veil and led Diamond into her stall. In a few minutes her horse had fresh water and hay. While Apollonia stood brushing the burrs out of Diamond's coat, she heard footsteps behind her. "Lo," said a female voice.

No one called her Lo except for her mother and her best friend. Apollonia turned around to see the latter of the two, Joelle. "Jo," Apollonia said in response.

Joelle looked much like Apollonia –– same red hair and tanned skin. Her eyes, however, were green, and her hair was cut into short tendrils that curled around her brow. "What's up, Lo?" she asked. "Coming back kind of late, aren't you?"

"It's still early. "

"No, I mean, last I heard you were going after a Hylian," said Joelle. She leaned against one of the stable's wooden support beams and crossed her arms over her chest. "That was last night. What happened?"

"Oh..." Apollonia constricted the horse brush in her hands. She couldn't tell the truth. "I lost him. "

"You lost him? How?"

"His horse was faster than Diamond," Apollonia said, patting her mare on the neck. "Isn't that right, baby?"

"Lo... "

"What?"

Joelle raised an eyebrow. "I'm not saying I don't believe you, but..."

"Oh, come on," Apollonia said, throwing the brush down in frustration. "What do you think I was doing? I lost track of the Hylian, and night came, and those damn skeletons were out, so I spent the night freezing my ass on top of a wall. "

"Really," said Joelle, frowning. "I just didn't think anyone could outrun Diamond. "

"Yeah, well, me neither, but I guess there are faster horses out there. It's a big world."

Apollonia gave Diamond one last pat and headed for the door of the stable. Joelle followed her, kicking up dirt as she walked. "Your sister was looking for you. "

Her sister. She had forgotten about Aelishae. "Oh, no," Apollonia said, putting a hand to her forehead. "What does she want?"

"She wants to know that you're okay, naturally," Joelle said. "Poor thing."

Apollonia almost laughed. Aelishae may have been only thirteen, but she was a far cry from a 'poor thing'. "Alright, fine, where is she?"

Joelle pointed in the direction of the archery range. "Guard duty. Up by the range. I'm surprised you didn't see her when you came in. "

"Well, she is pretty short. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Later, Lo. "

Apollonia broke into a trot towards the archery range, feeling a little guilty. She should have gone to see Aelishae first thing after getting back. As she approached the range, she spotted her sister: the tiniest of all the guards. She wore the traditional black-and-purple guard uniform, her hair tied up in a bun, her face veiled in a silvery fabric. Far above her head the blade of her scimitar swayed gently. As soon as she saw Apollonia approaching, Aelishae threw her scimitar to the ground, ran pell-mell to her older sister, and leapt into her arms. "You're back! You're back!" she cried.

"Yes, I'm back," Apollonia agreed, squeezing Aelishae tightly. "I'm sorry I worried you. "

"I thought you _died!_" said Aelishae, dropped back to the ground but keeping her constrictor-like grip around her sister's waist. "I thought a Hylian killed you! I would have avenged you!"

"That's good to know," said Apollonia, gently prying her off. "I'm fine. "

"I knew you'd be fine." Her sister had an infectious, almost perpetual toothy grin. "_Nothing_ could kill you, right?"

"Nothing. "

"Apollonia, did you hear?" asked Aelishae, picking up her weapon again. "I'm on regular duty now. "

"You are? Goddesses, you _must_ have impressed Hellime," Apollonia said, ruffling her sister's hair.

"She said I have a _sixth sense_ about stuff," her sister said. "Apollonia, what are you doing today? Can you help me with target practice? That's the only part of the test I didn't do well on. "

"Joelle's a better shot than I am," replied Apollonia. "You should ask her. "

"Aw, but ––"

"I haven't seen Hellime since yesterday. I'll see you after your shift, okay?"

"Okay." Aelishae was also a good pouter.

"Get back to work, you," Apollonia said, giving her a playful shove in the direction of her post. Aelishae did as she was told, and Apollonia headed back to the fortress, seeking shade from the ever-rising desert sun.

Once inside again, she ascended a long flight of stairs to the upper levels of the fortress. Even here the smell of thick perfume was already apparent. Apollonia made her way down the long hallway towards Hellime's chamber, one hand always touching the cool stone wall.

Hellime's room had no door, only layers of silks and long strings of beads hanging from the jamb. Just outside the door stood Hellime's usual guard, a young woman whose name Apollonia had never learned, but whom she could identify immediately because she was always braiding and re-braiding her hair.

"Hello," said the guard in a sweet, flighty voice, wrapping strands of dark red around each other. Her scimitar stood propped up in the other corner, in easy reach. "Hellime's inside. You can go on in. "

"Thank you," said Apollonia, parting the violet and gold silks and stepping inside.

The small chamber looked more like a brothel than an accounting office. The same richly patterned silks hung from the walls, softening the harsh stone interior. Cushions were scattered around the floor and piled up in the corners of the room. While some sun filtered through the silk-covered window, most of the light came from candles and torches set in the walls, threatening to catch all that cloth on fire. Near the back of the room sat Hellime: one of the older Gerudo women. Her hair was as long as Apollonia's, but shone like silver, wrapped here and there with leather bands and ribbon. She always wore green to match her heavy-lidded green eyes.

Hellime lifted her head as Apollonia entered. "Hello, darling," she said, parting her lips to smile. There was a small gap between her front teeth. "I was hoping I'd see you soon."

"Good morning, my lady," Apollonia said, dragging a sapphire-blue pillow from the corner and sitting down cross-legged atop it. "How's business?"

"Excellent," said Hellime, shuffling through the pile of parchments in front of her. She held a long peacock-feather pen in one hand, tallying totals and doing sums in her head. Though she might not have looked it, Hellime was the second most powerful Gerudo in the entire tribe, right hand man to the king. Or woman, as it were. "You girls did a fine job yesterday with that raid. "

"What's the verdict?"

Hellime's eyes flickered over her of papers. "Looks like a total of fifteen hundred thirty five rupees worth of gold and silver to hawk, as well as a lovely collection of emeralds." She glanced down at her amble bosom, where an emerald pendant lay nestled. She fingered the jewel lovingly and smiled. "I just love emeralds, don't you?"

"Emeralds are nice," Apollonia agreed quietly. "Um... my lady, I was wondering if there was any word about intruders or anything trying to retaliate for what we did to that old man..."

"Not a word," said Hellime, "which is why I just _love_ you girls. Top-notch work."

"Right." Apollonia paused a moment, wondering if she should mention anything about the Hylian.

"I heard you went chasing after a Hylian," Hellime said, raising her brow.

Well, that answered that. "Yes, I did," replied Apollonia. "He got away, though. "

"Got away?" Like Joelle, Hellime seemed equally dubious. "Oh, no."

"It's alright, he didn't... see me or anything," lied Apollonia.

"Well, that's good to know." Hellime dipped her quill into a jade bowl filled with ink and made a correction on her parchment. "I do wonder what he was doing, though. Hylian men are nothing but trouble. I hope he doesn't try to come back. "

"I don't think he will. I... scared him good." Another lie. Apollonia had no idea if the Hylian man would try to return. He had _better_ not. Apollonia was beginning to feel stuffy in that incense-filled room. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lady? I should be going soon. "

"Well..." Hellime thoughtfully stroked her cheek with long fingers. "As a matter of fact, yes. You can take these ––" she handed Apollonia the freshly-inked pile of parchments, "–– and bring them to Ganondorf. "

Apollonia felt the blood rush from her face and the room's temperature doubled. "Oh," she said, trying not to show her trepidation. "Of course, my lady."

Hellime, however, noticed. "There's no reason to fret, my darling," she said, running her fingers along the shaft of the peacock feather. "Just run that up to him, and quit 'my lady'ing me, okay?"

"Yes, Hellime." Apollonia stood up cautiously from her cushioned and exited the smoky chamber. The guard outside paid no attention to her, just continued braiding. Apollonia walked slowly back down the hall to the stone staircase, which lead up even further into the fortress. _Ganondorf_, she thought bitterly. _Oh, this better be quick. I could kill a man today. I could kill a hundred men today_.

_There's no reason to fret, my darling_. Oh, of course not. Hellime was probably used to dealing with the young king. Apollonia, however, made it a habit not to consort with him. At _all_. Well, if she must, she must. She took in a deep breath and began to ascend the stairs to Ganondorf's chamber.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: **Hey, everyone. I've received some nice reviews since I first posted this story, which I greatly appreciate. I knew that chapters of his story would come erratically, since when I started it, I was trying to graduate college. Then after that, several time-consuming yet very cool projects. Then I sort of forgot about the whole thing, and it has sat virtually untouched… until _now_. If you're returning to this after I posted the previous chapter two friggity-fraggin' _years_ ago, I'd recommend going back and refreshing oneself with the story so far. But if you think you're good to go, have at it. Thank you for your patience, and I'll see you on the other side.

**Chapter Three**

Dyla returned to Hyrule Castle Town after the morning market rush, but well before noon, the events of the previous evening still fresh in his mind. And Apollonia. She, too, was difficult to forget.

The air was filled with the buzz of townsfolk; shopkeepers calling out their wares; wagons creaking over the drawbridge; children play-fighting with each other in the streets and shrieking as they pretended to be slain. In the distance, Dyla could see the jade spires of Hyrule Castle piercing the blue sky. He had never been to the castle in all the time he had lived in Hyrule. Dyla steered his horse out of the way of a bustling group of villagers, past the market area, and towards his own tiny dwelling. Here the sun was blocked by tall walls of the surrounding buildings, and it might as well have been early evening. The smell of fermented animal and sewage hung in the air –– not the cleanest part of town; not the richest, but not the poorest, either. Dyla boarded his horse in the small stable shared by the residents of the surrounding houses. Already inside were two other horses, calmly chewing on hay. Dyla saw that his own horse had enough food –– and considering all the grass and fresh air it had received the previous evening, he wasn't too worried. He left the stable and walked two doors down over uneven cobblestone to his own house.

It took a moment for Dyla's eyes to adjust to the dimness of the front room. Slowly the darkness melted away. The stove in the corner had only a handful of red embers left over from the day before. Dyla hung his bow and quiver on a hook near the door, then went to the stove to stoke the coals and add more fuel. As soon as tall yellow flames were once again licking the stove walls, he surveyed the room and made sure the rest of his meager belongs were still present. His table and chair, which he built himself, were tucked away in the corner, covered with a few dishes and a pile of books that still intended to read one of these days. In the other corner was a wooden crate filled with tools, and next to that a few long pieces of board stood up against the crumbling walls of the dwelling. Nothing was particularly... _aesthetically pleasing_ about his house, but Dyla didn't have to worry about impressing anyone.

In the back of the room hung a dark blue curtain. Dyla pulled it back and entered a smaller room, which he laughably called his bedroom. His bed, the frame of which he also built himself, sat quietly against the far wall, covered in a soft green quilt he had brought with him from Kakariko. The alcove was so narrow that the curtain nearly touched the bed. Wearily he sat down, sinking a little too far into the straw-tick mattress. His body still ached from the night on the wall. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let out a sigh.

And, of course, Apollonia was still on his mind. What a strange woman. Beautiful, though. Almost painfully so. Her image was etched into his consciousness and it was all he could do to keep himself from going over her features again and again –– the eyes, which had been the first thing he'd seen; then her long dark-carrot hair; the red, red lips... what did the rest of her look like underneath that black cloak? He could only imagine. No, he _shouldn't_ imagine.

Dyla's opened his eyes. He had seen a Gerudo. He had _seen_ a _Gerudo_. And _talked_ to her. And he wasn't dead. How nice of her.

He considered this. It was said that _no one_ had ever seen a Gerudo and lived. Well, that would be pretty extreme. Surely at one time or another a Gerudo and a Hylian or a Zora or whatever did in fact form a friendship outside of what would be called... _normal_. Perhaps...

No. No, no, no. He couldn't go back to see her. How would he even find her again? With their dark cloaks and scimitar, the Gerudo all looked virtually identical. With his luck, he would probably start following the wrong girl and wind up on the bottom of Lake Hylia.

Dyla picked out a loose thread from the quilt below him. However, he couldn't just... _forget_ about her. He had to do something. What that something was, he didn't know.

Apollonia stood frozen outside the door of Ganondorf's chamber, papers still in hand. _I am not afraid to go in I am not afraid to go in I will go in_, she repeated to herself. Then, the longer she stood, she began to hear something coming from inside the room. Voices, naturally. One was definitely Ganondorf's; being the only man among them, he was easy to identify. And the other voice belonged to a woman, of course, but Apollonia couldn't quite figure out who it was. They were speaking too softly. She stood with her ear against the thick dark wood, straining to hear at least a word of their conversation, but she couldn't understand anything. Just muffled sounds.

_You might as well go in_, she said to herself. _Unless you want to stay here forever and die right here outside his door_. No, she didn't want that. Or, she could just slip the papers under the crack of the door. No, that would be cowardly. _Apollonia, you are afraid of nothing. Now, get in there!_

Apollonia gathered up her courage, pulled her shoulders back, and pounded her fist against the door in three loud knocks.

The voices ceased. "Enter," called out the more manly of the two voices.

Apollonia pushed the door open and stepped boldly inside the chamber. Like Hellime's room, this one was richly decorated, though Ganondorf had more of a taste for red velvet than green silks. His grand chair sat in the middle of one of these red velvet rugs, made of the same dark wood as the door. Curtains hung around the room in front of the stone walls, dampening echoes. And there was Ganondorf, standing some ways away from his chair, massive arms folded over massive chest, looking at Apollonia with keen orange eyes. Apollonia, so sure of herself only seconds earlier, suddenly felt her strength slowly drain. What _was_ it about Ganondorf that disturbed her so? Trying not to shrink back out the door, she eyed his enormous form. Even for his age –– eighteen or twenty or however young he was –– he was still gigantic. Well over six feet, like his father had been. His face had much sharper features than the rest of the Gerudo –– even they, with their long sloping noses and high cheekbones and whatnot. His hair was fiery red, trailing down his back in a tight braid.

And then there was that _smile_. Closed-mouth... subtle... _creepy_. Ganondorf, upon seeing Apollonia, smiled now. But only just. "What do you want?" he said. His voice rumbled.

Apollonia blinked. "These are from Hellime," she said softly.

"And what are those?"

"Last night's raid." Apollonia's eyes flickered to the other side of the room and saw who Ganondorf had been talking to. A young Gerudo woman lay demurely on a pile of cushions, watching Apollonia curiously. She was dressed in silky layers of violet and daffodil. Unlike most of the other girls, her hair was not red, but gold. It hung around her face and draped itself over her form, adorned in amethyst bands. She had been Ganondorf's concubine for some time now, ever since Ganondorf had been old enough to be in need of a concubine. Her name was Priyadarshini, Apollonia remembered, a name that meant "delightful to look at" which was unfortunately true. And Priya knew it. She languished there on the cushions with bored, heavy eyes, seemingly waiting for Ganondorf to finish with his oh-so-dull business and get back to their conversation. Or... whatever they were doing. Or might do. Apollonia pushed this out of her mind, marched across the room to Ganondorf, and held out the pile of parchments to him.

He took them from her with another smile, "Thank you," he said... no, _purred_.

"You're welcome." Apollonia turned quickly, biting back the _my lord_ perching on the edge of her tongue. She still couldn't call him _her lord_. Not yet.

"Which one are you, again?" said Ganondorf before she could leave.

She looked back over her shoulder, eyebrows narrowed. "Apollonia."

"Apollonia," Ganondorf repeated, nodding. "I won't forget."

_Go to hell!_ "Right," she said, not really knowing what else to say, and left, shutting the door behind her. Once she was back in the silent hallway, she let out the breath she had been holding. _There. Nothing happened_. But she still felt sick. She paused outside the door, just in case she could catch a snippet of conversation. But even inside Ganondorf's chamber there was no sound or conversation.

_Well. That's the end of that_. Apollonia descended the stairs and went back outside into the blinding sunlight. There she stood, yellow sand creeping up over the tops of her shoes as she surveyed the fortress. It was awfully quiet that morning. She watched the guards making their rounds: Aelishae was still out, watching the entrance to the fortress with an almost maddening display of attentiveness. Apollonia could hear the whinny of a horse over in the shooting range, and the echo of hammers and voices as some of the girls worked on a new dwelling at the far end of the fortress. Not much to do now that she was back, it seemed.

So, naturally, her thoughts led right back to the previous night. What had that Hylian's name been? She couldn't remember. All she could see was his enormous face hovering over him as he was trying to lower her veil. Goddesses, the _nerve_ of him. She should have killed him.

No, she would stop thinking about him.

And yet, hours and hours later, she still could not rid her mind of the Hylian.

Nighttime swathed the valley. Apollonia, lying awake in her bed, staring at the stone ceiling. Aelishae was snoring in the bed across the room, her tiny figure dwarfed even further by the too-large bed. All Apollonia could see of her was the top of her ginger head.

_Goddesses, what an asshole he is!_ Apollonia wrapped her fingers around the sheep's-wool covering most of her body and nearly strangled it. _Why didn't you just stab him? Or blind him, so he would never see anything again?_ That _would have been brilliant!_

Her mind, ever active, chimed in with another voice. _I thought you were going to stop thinking about him_.

_I know, but he just irritates me so much! Damn him. Din damn him, and Farore damn him, and Nayru too, even though that's not really her thing. Damn him forever_.

Apollonia rolled over and pulled her covers over her head. She wished she could remember his name in order to damn him more properly. Even as she drifted off to sleep, the cacophony in her brain continued until it was unrecognizable. _Damn him damn him damnhimdamnhimdhimdamnhim... _

. . - . .

Dyla stood, looking out the window, watching the world pass. From here, through the buildings, he could see slices of Castle Town's main square. Quick flashes of people, horses, carts, children, dogs... all bustling about, oblivious of Dyla's observation. In the flower-box of the house across the street, fat sparrows picked seeds and bugs from the dirt. For the first time in months, he felt... a little bit content.

"Something wrong, dearie?" said a voice behind him. Startled out of his daydream, Dyla snatched up his hammer and went back to replacing the windowsill. He hadn't been staring out the window of _his_ house. It belonged to an old widow who was now standing just to his right, withered hands folded over the top of her walking stick.

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Dyla said over the obvious _bang, bang_ of his hammer on the wood.

"Oh, I just thought you had stopped," said the old widow.

"No. I was just... doing calculations." Dyla fell into silence as he continued adding nails to the new sill.

Seemingly satisfied, the old widow wandered away. "You're doing such a _good job_," she added.

"Thank you," muttered Dyla, though he knew she hadn't heard him. If he didn't start focusing on what he was going, he was going to bang the hell out of his fingers with all his wild hammering. He added one last nail, then stood back to look at the job. The old wood, which lay on the ground in a pile, was rotten and flaked whenever anyone touched it. The new wood was clean and crisp. Its yellow color shown out against the older gray wood around it. He replaced the old widow's collection of potted herbs and flowers upon the sill, where they would get ample sun. There. Done. He picked up his box of tools, returned to the ground floor, received his rupees from the old widow, and left the house.

The sun was still shining outside. He walked slowly, swinging his box at his side. He didn't really have anywhere to go, or anything to do. All of his work for the day was done. So he returned home, put away his tools, and glanced at the pile of books in the corner, still untouched. Maybe he could start one of them. He sat down at the table, in the lone chair, but did nothing. Quiet –– quiet except for the sound of some children playing the adjacent alley, of birds twittering outside, of the occasional breeze rustling the shutters.

_This is ridiculous_.

Dyla glanced over to his bow and quiver hanging by the door. Maybe he should… go out into the field again. See if he couldn't find a hare or a duck or something. All he had in his cupboard were a few vegetables and a bag of flour. He stood up, grabbed his cloak and his bow, and went out to the stables.

As he saddled his horse, he thought to himself: _I should avoid the valley, though_.

Of course. Wouldn't want to cross paths with any of those fierce women again, now, would he? Of course not.

Dyla led the horse out of the town, through the formidable walls and over the drawbridge. The castle guards nodded to him; he nodded back. He knew he had to be back by nightfall, when they closed the bridge. That was one of the drawbacks of living in the castle town: plenty of security, but if he didn't get back in time…

He mounted his horse and took off into the field. He let the horse gallop wherever it wished. The horse, in turn, was glad to be out of the cramped stall and out in the open air. And so, in a way, was Dyla.

It took over an hour for the horse to finally wander its way over to the entrance of Gerudo Valley. Dyla yanked the reins, bringing his steed to a stop. It didn't look so terrifying in the daylight. He glanced around. No one in sight.

_I'm just going to look_, he told himself. _Just looking_. He urged the horse forward.

The same rock walls surrounded him, the same gorge stretched out in front of him. A bridge spanned the gap –– an old hanging bridge, made of planks and ropes and stakes. He couldn't imagine how the Gerudo had the nerve to take a _horse_ over something that precarious. Dyla slid off the horse's back, went to the edge of the cliff, and looked down. Hundreds of feet below him, a river coiled its way through the rocks, rushing towards Lake Hylia. No boat could navigate that river: too many drops, too many hidden rocks. And if he were to fall…

Feeling dizzy, Dyla backed away from the sheer drop and turned his attention back to the bridge. Well, if it had stood this long without falling, it had to be pretty sturdy, despite its appearance. He approached the edge and put one tentative foot on the first plank. The bridge trembled, but didn't come crashing down. So Dyla took another step, then another. Hanging onto the ropes with both arms, he inched his way across. It took him a long time –– too long –– to even reach the center. Once there, he made the mistake of looking down. Again, the rushing river, but incredulously it seemed even closer than before. He averted his eyes and stared at the sky as he shuffled the rest of the way across the bridge. Surprisingly, he didn't die.

Once across, Dyla felt loads better. What had he been worrying about, anyway? That was easy. Easy! Now he was even nearer to the Gerudo fortress –– closer, perhaps, than any living man. He glanced back at his horse, which was waiting on the other side of the gorge, staring at him. It would be fine. Dyla ventured forth, keeping one hand on his dagger and the other on the handle of his bow. The surrounding rock walls grew taller, and the path grew narrower. The feeling of dread in the pit of Dyla's stomach swelled.

Some time later, as daylight was beginning to wane, Dyla saw something in the distance, crossing the path. It was a huge gate, made from thick logs culled from Hyrule's forests, topped with deadly spikes. A flag flew above the gate, sand-yellow, emblazoned with a star and a crescent moon. Dyla chuckled to himself. He had heard people call the Gerudo fortress a _hideout_… but they weren't hiding out at all. Everyone knew they lived here. People just didn't want to bother them. If that were so, what was Dyla doing here?

Now that he was so near, he couldn't bring himself to get any closer. Most likely that Gerudo girl was in there somewhere. Apollonia. She had to come out some time or another, didn't she? Apollonia.

_And what will you say to her if you do find her? If you get a chance to say _anything_, that is –– she may just kill you._

True. But if she had wanted to kill him, wouldn't she had done it already?

_That doesn't stop the other Gerudo from killing you_.

Dyla found a little niche in the rocks where he would be concealed but still able to watch the gate. He didn't know how long he would stay there.

As night fell, he had that same thought as before: _This is ridiculous_.

By the time Dyla had made up his mind to leave his little hiding place and approach the gates, he heard a distant sound, some familiar thunder echoing through the gorge. Horses; several of them. There was a huge creaking, rumbling sound as the gate opened. Voices –– women's voices, of course. Dyla ducked down again and watched as five mounted riders came trotting out. They didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry. They were dressed in black hoods, all identical. Their horses, however, were different. Dyla examined them as they passed, trying not to breathe. There were two bay horses; and a gray one; and a palomino. Then, quite close to him, a red roan with a white blaze running from its forehead to its nose. It was the same horse from the other night. He glanced up at the rider. Though he couldn't see even a snip of her face, red hair hung out under the back of her hood like a fox's tail. It had to be her. It had to be.

None of the riders spoke. They all seemed to be on the alert. Even so, they didn't notice as Dyla left his hiding place and followed them back to the bridge. Or, if they _did_ notice, they sure didn't show it.

When they reached the bridge, the front-most rider suddenly stopped. "Look!" she hissed.

The other Gerudo girls halted. Dyla felt his stomach flip as he remembered ––

"A horse," murmured another one.

His horse. It was still dillydallying on the other side of the canyon. Damn it all. He shrunk back into the rocks, hoping he would blend in, and prayed that none of them noticed his withering shadow.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Where'd it come from?" said one of the Gerudos, staring at the horse.

"There must be someone here," said another, glancing around from atop her steed.

"There can't be," said yet another.

"Why not?"

"No one who's not one of us comes around here…"

"Unless he's real stupid."

"For sure."

The first Gerudo looked over the cliff at the black water rushing hundreds of feet below. "Maybe someone topped himself."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"I mean, maybe someone jumped in the river. You know, killed himself."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"I dunno."

"That'd be a terrible way to die."

"I can think of worse…"

The Gerudos continued like this for some time, and only one of them –– the one on the red roan, with the long ponytail –– remained suspiciously silent. She was still staring at the horse.

"Lo?" said one of the Gerudo. "What's up?"

"Oh –– well, I was thinking that maybe it just wandered off," said the Gerudo on the red roan. "The horse, I mean. There are a couple of ranches nearby, right?"

"That's an awful long way to wander off."

"Plus it's saddled and everything," said another Gerudo. "Weird, huh?"

"Girls," said the Gerudo in front, "we gotta get going. We don't have time to stand around and wonder about a stupid horse." She yanked on the reins of her own horse and urged it over the bridge. Though the planks swayed and the lines strained, miraculously it remained intact. One by one, the other riders followed.

When they were all on the opposite side of the canyon, they paused once more. There was some talk among them –– Dyla, from his hiding place, couldn't hear them very well, nor could he see them in the dim light. But eventually they left, heading out of the valley –– except for one.

The Gerudo on the red roan. She watched as the others left. Then she approached Dyla's horse, took it by the reins, and led it to the edge of the canyon. "Alright," she said, loudly enough that even Dyla could hear it. Her words echoed off the rocks. "Where are you?"

For a moment Dyla remained hidden, his quivering fingers clutching the rock in front of him. Then, cautiously, he stood. Apollonia spotted him immediately, even from across the gap. She jumped off her horse and deftly crossed the bridge, unconcerned even as it swayed back and forth like a ship at sea. "You," she said, approaching Dyla. The closer she got, the more clearly he could see the outline of her angry yellow eyes. "_You_."

"Yes," said Dyla, "I suppose it _is_ me."

"I ought to slit your throat," said Apollonia, coming to a stop in front of him. She had her hand behind her back, gripping the handle of her scimitar. "I thought you were going to stay away from here."

"I was," said Dyla, "but…" He trailed off. There was no way he could say _I just wanted to see you again_ that didn't sound incredibly stupid.

"But _what?_" demanded Apollonia. "No –– wait –– never mind, I don't care. You have five seconds to get your ass out of here."

"What about your friends?" said Dyla. "Aren't they wondering what you're doing?"

"They think I'm taking your horse back to our stables," said Apollonia. "Three seconds."

"I'm not leaving," said Dyla.

"Two seconds. Why not?"

"Mostly because you can't make me," said Dyla, "but also because I know you won't kill me."

"Time's up," said Apollonia. "Get out."

"Am I right?"

"No! Now get out of here."

"If you had wanted to kill me, I think you would have done it already," said Dyla. "Don't you think?"

Apollonia reached out and shoved him. Hard. Unlike the way most girls might push a man –– that is to say, futilely –– she was apparently stronger than most girls. And Dyla hadn't really been expecting that sort of reaction. Thrown off balance, he tripped over a rock and went tumbling to the ground in a cloud of red dust. "_Out!_" she said, pointing to the bridge.

Dyla would have loved to rip that veil off her and see her furious face in earnest. His heart pounding, he climbed to his feet. "What are you going to tell your Gerudo friends?" he said. "About the horse?"

"Nothing," said Apollonia. She paused. Her eyes were on him, examining him. "Go. _Please_. I don't want anyone to see you here. I would be in so much trouble, and it would be _entirely _ your fault."

"_You_ would be in trouble?" said Dyla. Somehow he knew that _he_ would be in a little more of a predicament if any of the other Gerudo saw him here.

"Yes. Now, will you please leave?"

"Alright, I'm going," said Dyla. "At least you said 'please'." He dusted himself off, pulled his hood up over his head, and started back towards the bridge, his heart pounding in his chest and his veins driven with fear. Even though he couldn't see Apollonia, he knew that her eyes were still on him. When he reached the edge of the bridge, he crossed it just like before: one foot in front of the other, hand over hand, keeping his eyes forward so he wouldn't vomit.

When he reached the middle of the bridge it began swinging back and forth, the weight thrown off balance. Apollonia appeared next to him. "What's the matter?" she said. "Haven't you ever crossed a bridge before?"

"I have," said Dyla, clutching the ropes with white-knuckled hands.

"Well, you're taking an awful long time," said Apollonia. She bounded to the opposite side of the bridge and waited as Dyla crept the rest of the way, watching him with her arms akimbo on her hips. Once he was safely on the ground again, she said: "Look, I don't want you getting caught by the other girls by accident, so let me show you the way out."

Dyla tried to catch his breath. "There's more than one way out of here?"

"Of course."

"Well, if that's so, I can find it for myself."

"Don't be dumb." Apollonia grabbed the neck of her horse and swung onto its back. "I'll show you, but you have to be quick about it. Come on, hurry up!"

Dyla mounted his own horse and followed closely behind Apollonia as she took a winding path through the rocks, going the opposite direction of the entrance to Gerudo Valley. So they _did_ have secret ways out. Dyla knew that Apollonia might get into huge trouble for showing such a route to a Hylian, but he kept his mouth shut. _If she's not presently killing you, then you're probably doing okay_.

They walked in silence for some time. The going was slow: the ground was covered in thousands of tiny stones, and for the horses it must have been like stepping on marbles. There were slopes that went gently up and then sharply down, and dead trees with rotten roots sticking up in the middle of the path.

After a while, Apollonia spoke up again. "You know, uh… that's a nice horse you have," she said.

"Oh –– thank you. You think so?"

"I do," said Apollonia. "A pretty nice horse for someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on," said Apollonia, looking back over her shoulder at him. "I can tell you're not rich."

Dyla gripped the reins tightly. "I get along all right," he said.

"I'm sure you do. What's his name?"

"What?"

"Your horse," said Apollonia. "What's his name?"

"I don't know," said Dyla. "He doesn't have one."

"He doesn't _have_ one?" said Apollonia. "How can you be so insensitive?"

"Well, I ––"

"This is Diamond," she continued, reaching down and stroking her mare's neck. "I named her the moment I saw her. You know why I named her that?"

"No, why?"

"Because she told me that she thought that was one of the most beautiful things, a diamond," said Apollonia, "so we decided that it would be her name. Toughest thing in the world, diamonds are. Did you know that?"

"Do horses generally talk to you?"

"Not in any language you would understand," said Apollonia. "Now, shut up for a second."

She turned around in her saddle so that both legs were on one side of Diamond's body and she could look back at Dyla. Diamond continued as though she knew the path by heart and didn't need anyone to guide her. Apollonia looked down at Dyla's horse with a thoughtful gaze. The horse, in turn, eyed her warily. "Peridot," Apollonia said finally.

"Whatnow?"  
"That's your horse's name," said Apollonia. "Peridot. He told me."

"What's that mean?"

"It's a stone," she said, turning back around and righting herself in Diamond's saddle. "Sort of an olive green. That stone reminds me of you foresty Hylians."

Dyla was silent for a moment. "Peridot," he said again. "I guess I can live with that."

"Good." She was silent again. But from behind that veil, she may have been smiling. Dyla couldn't tell, but he imagined that she was.

By this time night had wholly fallen, and the only light was the faint twinkling of a few dozen stars above them and the dying sunset to the west of them. They probably hadn't been walking for very long, but to Dyla it seemed like an epoch.

Once they ascended one last hill, however, Apollonia stopped. "Here," she said. "Look down there."

Dyla slid off his horse's back and crept to the edge of the cliff. Below him lay the market, lit torches only dots against the blackness of night; beyond that the spires of Hyrule Castle jutted up in front of Death Mountain. The sight was rather beautiful. "Wow," he said. "I didn't even know this was here."

"You're not supposed to," said Apollonia. She hopped down off her horse and blithely made her way to the drop-off. "The path goes down that way ––" she pointed to a thin trail zigzagging down through the rocks, "–– and it should take you almost right next to the gate."

Dyla peered down into the darkness. "Damn," he said, "the bridge is up already."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I didn't know how late it was."

Apollonia was quiet for a moment. "They'll let you in, though, right?"

"The guards will probably question me about where I've been, and I'll probably look pretty suspicious, but yes."

"Terrible thing," said Apollonia, "having a curfew like that."

"It's for the safety of the town ––"

"I know, I know, you're all so _safe_ tucked away in your little castle town," sighed Apollonia. "There is another way in, another way besides the front gates. You know that, don't you?"

"No," said Dyla, "but I'm not surprised that you do."

"Well, I shouldn't tell you," said Apollonia, waving away the thought.

"Then why bring it up in the first place?"

"You've got to go," she continued, ignoring his sass. "I've been gone too long as it is. You're not going to tell anyone about this path, are you?"

"I won't tell anyone," said Dyla.

"Good. Because I'd kill you if you did that."

Dyla smiled to himself, but said nothing.

"Well, I guess that's it," said Apollonia. She turned around and took a step back towards Diamond; the loose rocks under her feet shifted suddenly, and her legs slid apart. She didn't cry out, just gasped as her body began to skate over the edge of the cliff. Dyla, without thinking, flung out and grabbed her by the arm. Her ragged glove slid underneath his hand, and her fingernails dug into his skin.

That was all she needed to regain her composure. Apollonia scrambled back up onto the rocks and yanked her arm away from Dyla. "_Don't_," she said.

"You'd rather I just let you fall?" said Dyla.

"No –– but –– shut up," she said, and haughtily swept her cloak back around her shoulders. "I left you alive, what more do you want? Now get out of here." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Okay," said Dyla. "Fine."

He took his horse by the reins –– Peridot, he reminded himself –– and began making his way down the slippery mountain path. Little by little he crept, and only once did he look back. Apollonia was still standing there on the cliff, watching him over her shoulder, almost completely obscured by her black cloak. She very well could have shot him in the back with an arrow by now. But why go through all the trouble of leading him up here if she was just going to kill him?

By the time he had reached the castle town walls, she was gone.

It was nigh on the middle of the night by the time Apollonia caught up with the rest of the Gerudo. Even though Diamond could outrun almost every other horse in camp, she couldn't reunite with the others fast enough. They would suspect something. Something for _sure_.

Apollonia crossed Hyrule field, keeping a wary eye for any midnight travelers. There was no one out now, no one except the wolves. The moon was out, though it was beginning to wane, and already it was approaching the western horizon. Still, it provided enough light by which to see, and silhouetted the mountains in the distance. Pretty.

She arrived at the edge of Lake Hylia –– the place they had agreed upon earlier –– and, as she suspected, the other four riders were there, waiting. By the looks of things, they had already completed their mission. Two sacks, on the backs of two horses, bulging and misshapen.

Joelle was the first to speak. "What the hell happened?" she asked.

"It's a long story," said Apollonia. She didn't know what else to say.

"I thought you were just going to put the horse away," said the tallest of the girls. Her name was Zephyra. Most of the time when a leader was needed, for whatever reason, she'd step right up and volunteer. No one ever argued with her.

"I… did," said Apollonia. "I mean, I was."

"Then what took you so long?" Zephyra's eyes were violet, and always had a somewhat put-upon look in them. Now they were staring directly at Apollonia.

"Well," began Apollonia, lowering her voice like she was speaking of something serious, "I wasn't going to tell you this, but… when I was going back to the fortress, I happened to find the owner of the horse." That wasn't quite a lie, was it?

The girls gasped.

"Was it a Hylian?" said Joelle.

"Yes, it was," said Apollonia. "A Hylian. But we don't need to worry about _him_ anymore, if you get my drift." She nodded knowingly, hoping the others would believe her.

"Oh, wow," said one of the other girls. "What did you do with him?"

"Well…" Apollonia thought quickly. "The river was right there, wasn't it? He went over easy –– all the way down to the rocks. It'll be days before anyone ever finds him, and even then, I'm sure there won't be _much_ of him left to find."

Some of the other girls chuckled, and so did Apollonia, though the thought of hurling Dyla into the canyon didn't really thrill her as much as she had hoped. He had never really posed a threat to her, had he? No, none whatsoever.

"Well, come on," said Zephyra, giving her horse a kick. "Let's get back to the valley."

"What a shame," said Joelle, following her. "You missed all the action, Lo."

"I don't mind too much," said Apollonia. She guided Diamond around and followed the other girls in turn.

"I guess not," said Joelle. "You had your share, after all." She pulled her own horse closer to Apollonia's. "The Hylian," she whispered. "Was it the same one as before?"

"What same one as before?"

"You know what I mean," said Joelle. "The one that got away."

"He's not a fish," said Apollonia, "and he didn't get away. He just happened to have a faster horse. Anyway, I don't know who it was. They all look the same to me."

Joelle's eyes frowned, but she said nothing as she pulled her horse back into formation. Apollonia let out a nervous breath of air. It felt wrong, lying to her sisters like this. But if anyone found out she had let a Hylian intruder go free not once but _twice_…

The entire way back to the valley, Apollonia wished she had never met the stupid Hylian. _I'm going to kill him_, she said to herself. _If I ever see him again, I'll kill him. I swear it_.

That would make everything better, wouldn't it?

As suspected, Dyla had a little trouble getting back into the castle town proper. The drawbridge was up: its massive oak planks stared him in the face, unmoving. A moat bordered the walls; it was water from Zora's River. It wasn't very deep, but it did have a fairly strong current. The light from the flickering torches shimmered in the water like a thousand golden minnows.

Dyla parried outside the drawbridge for a few minutes, walking Peridot up and down the length of the gate, until one of the soldiers popped his head over the top of the wall. "Oy!" he called. "You there!"

"Evening," Dyla called back. "Could you let me in?"

"Do you live in town?"

"Yes, of course."

"If that was the case," said the solider, "you'd know that we raise the drawbridge at night. No trespassers allowed!"

"I was held up," called Dyla, growing more frustrated. "I was out in the field, hunting."

"Of course you were," said the soldier. "Didn't get anything, then?"

"No, I didn't," said Dyla. "Game is getting scarce, you know. Probably all those wolves. Couldn't you just let me in?"

"Well…" The solider thought for a moment. "All right, but don't let it happen again." He disappeared behind the wall. Not long after, there was a loud display of clattering and clanking as the drawbridge was lowered. It thudded into place. Dyla steered Peridot across. He was barely inside the walls when the soldiers raised the bridge again, locking him –– and everyone else –– safely inside. No one could enter, and no one could leave.

Dyla thought about this as he returned to his little corner of town. _There is another way in, another way __besides the front gates. You know that, don't you?_ That's what Apollonia had said. If she and her little Gerudo friends ever snuck into their town, that's the way they'd go. Part of him wished he knew the secret way; it sure would be a lot easier than haggling with the guards every time he ran a little late.

Dyla put Peridot away in the stable, just like before, and returned to his house. Though he had a lot of work to do in the morning, he remained awake until very late, until the last of the embers burned away in the stove. He was thinking –– thinking, thinking, thinking, going over the same things in his mind again and again.

He vowed to forget about the whole thing.

The next day, Apollonia went about her day like normal. She went with Aelishae to the shooting range and helped her with target practice. She rode Diamond out in the dunes for exercise, then brushed her thoroughly afterwards. She folded every piece of clothing in her room, then refolded them, then refolded them again. Try as she might, she couldn't stay busy enough. Her mind still wandered.

Around noon, while seeking shade in the cool shadow of the stable, Joelle appeared out of virtually nowhere. "Hey, Lo," she said.

"Hey." Apollonia gave her a friendly wave, but that was all.

"_Sooo_…" said Joelle, sitting on the edge of her horse's stall and scooting up next to Apollonia. "I wanted to ask you about something."

Apollonia tried to look casual –– curious, perhaps, but not guilty. She didn't know if she quite succeeded. "Oh yeah? What's up?"

"Well, I was kind of wondering what happened to that horse," said Joelle.

Apollonia blinked. "What horse?"

"The horse from last night," said Joelle. "The one that we found a-wandering through the valley?"

"Oh…"

"The one whose owner you said you tossed into the river? You didn't push the horse in after him, did you?"

Apollonia was silent. She hadn't really considered how she would explain a missing horse in this equation. "Uh, no, I didn't," she said. "That would have been stupid."

Joelle's easygoing expression turned serious, and she knit her brows above quizzical green eyes. "Apollonia, I know there's something going on," she said.

"There isn't."

"No, I think there is. You're never like this."

Apollonia scuffed the dirt with her shoe and stared at the resulting dusty mist. "I can't tell you."

"Yes you can."

"No, I can't," said Apollonia. "If anyone ever found out about this, I'd be in big trouble."

"Oh, well now you _have_ to tell me," said Joelle. "Did you let him go?"

"Who?"

"The _Hylian!_ You let him go, didn't you?"

Apollonia glared at her. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"I don't know. Was he young?"

"Well, now, that doesn't have anything to do with it ––"

"I mean, how young was he? There's a certain point where it just plain isn't _right_, you know."

"Is there?"

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't want you running around killing children," said Joelle. "And I'm sure Hellime wouldn't, either. And I hope Ganondorf wouldn't, either."

"Don't mention him," Apollonia said with a frustrated sigh.

"I just mean that there _are_ some situations where it's okay to let someone off," said Joelle. "It's not like he saw your face or anything, right?"

Apollonia tried to keep her guilt inside. "Right," she said, which wasn't _quite_ a lie. The Hylian hadn't seen her face _that_ time. "And –– you're right. He was pretty young. I –– I told him to take his horse, get out, and never come back this way again. I think I scared him pretty bad. Then I met up with you guys. I just didn't want to tell Zephyra about it because… you know how _she_ can get."

"Oh, I know."

"So that's what happened."

"Well, that's okay!" Joelle gave her a pat on the shoulder. "See, now, don't you feel better?"

"A little. You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I won't," said Joelle. She paused. "So it wasn't the same Hylian from the other night?"

"What do you… oh. Like I said, I couldn't really tell. Now, can we stop talking about this?"

"Alright, alright," said Joelle. She leaned back and gave her horse, Carnelian, a stroke on the muzzle. "Still, it was a shame you had to miss that raid last night. Hellime's impressed. I told her you were with us, just so you'd get some of the credit, too."

"Yeah," Apollonia said absently. "Look, I better go."

"Why?"

"I dunno," she said. "I probably have things to do. Don't you?"

Joelle arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps."

Apollonia said nothing else, just took a few tentative steps out into the hot sun. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do once she got there, but she couldn't stay around much longer being interrogated.

For a while she just walked, until she reached the gates that led out into the desert. The yellow sands stretched for miles –– how far, no one really knew. She wished she could just walk and walk and walk until she was eons away from Hyrule. But she couldn't, and she didn't.


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N: **Well, what can I say? Life tends to get in the way of other things, and that's exactly what happened in the last, um, year and a half. Occasionally I would take out this story, read it over, tinker with it for a bit, and then put it away for another couple months. Here's a chapter I've had for a while, and only just got around to finishing. If you want to revisit the previous chapters... well, I can't stop you, can I?

**Chapter Five**

A day passed… then another. Dyla tried to keep himself busy –– and he didn't have a very hard time of it, either, as suddenly there was plenty of work to do around town. Somehow the word had gotten out that he was a quick and efficient carpenter, and Dyla couldn't deny it. Probably the old widow had mentioned something to her neighbor, who mentioned it to their neighbor, and so on. Soon people were stopping by his house every day to ask if he could repair a stable wall or hang a door or –– the biggest boon –– help dig a new well at one of the farms outside town.

The thought of Apollonia and her dangerous face stayed in the back of his mind, but every day it faded a little more until only her glaring yellow eyes were left. Before he knew it, it had been nearly three weeks since Dyla's first incident with the Gerudos, and suddenly the whole thing seemed totally preposterous. What had he been thinking?

On that last day, three weeks later, Dyla was just finishing laying wood shingles on the roof of the new well covering. Even though the structure wasn't as tall as a house, Dyla could see the entire farm from up there. Near him was the two-story house, simple and worn but clean and well kept. A crop of tiny green wheat plants lay beyond that, shimmering like a green ocean. Beyond that was the stable and barn.

Dyla knew that the woman who owned the farm was widowed –– she had three daughters and one very young son, hence Dyla's assistance in building the well. She seemed like a nice enough woman, and for the most part she left him to his work.

Someone emerged from the house: it was the oldest daughter. She trotted up to the well, skirts bouncing around thin ankles, and gave Dyla a wave. "How's it going?" she said, flashing a smile.

"Just fine," replied Dyla. He put his hammer into his belt and shimmied back down to the ground where the girl was waiting.

Her name was Shariah, he remembered, and wasn't much younger than Dyla himself. She had wide eyes with long lashes, and chestnut-brown hair pulled back in a waterfall of curls. "Mother wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come in for a drink or something," she said, beaming. "You know, since you've been out here all day. Won't you?"

It hadn't been all day; it was barely noon. But the heat from the sun surrounded him like a kiln, so Dyla nodded. "I suppose so," he said.

Shariah could barely contain herself. "Right this way!" she said, and led him back to the house. She bounded through the grass like a fawn while Dyla lagged behind, watching his feet step over the uneven ground.

He sat awkwardly in the dim house as Shariah and her mother bustled about the kitchen, chatting about the weather and the good luck they were having with their crops and the state of the cows these days. Dyla nodded, sometimes listening, sometimes not. He kept glancing out at the window at the nearly-finished well, then back at Shariah. Every time she looked at him, she gave him the strangest smile –– like she was waiting for him to say something, and she was waiting to reply. But Dyla couldn't think of anything to say.

After some time, Dyla finally did speak up. "I'm almost finished, ma'am," she said to Shariah's mother. "I better get back out there before we lose the light."

Shariah's mother, who was inescapably tough for a newly-widowed woman, gave a long sigh. "I suppose so," she replied. "Shariah, why don't you go with him?" She shoved a jug of water into her daughter's hands. "Take this."

"Yes, Mother!" said Shariah, and grinned at Dyla again. He blinked.

Back outside, Dyla climbed back atop the well cover roof and went back to hammering in shingles. Shariah sat in the grass, water jug still in her hands, watching him. Dyla tried not to notice, but with those wide eyes on him he suddenly felt over-conscious of everything he was doing. He focused on the nail between his fingers and brought the hammer down –– _wham_. He missed: both the nail, and his fingers, thankfully. The nail jumped from the board and landed somewhere in the dirt.

Shariah hopped up and searched the ground for a few seconds. "Here!" she said, and triumphantly held the nail up to Dyla. He took it without a word, straightened it with a few blows from his hammer, and went back to work.

He knew what Shariah wanted. He knew that she and her mother must have been talking about him like girls usually did with their mothers –– _such a nice young man, and he lives all alone in town, and still young! He'd make a nice husband, wouldn't he?_ Dyla entertained the notion for a moment. He wasn't ugly; he knew that from the way girls like Shariah would make moon-eyes at him and giggle behind their hands. And he made an honest living, meager as it was, and he did have a house. There was no reason why he couldn't court Shariah, marry her, move onto her farm and make chestnut-headed children with her. Dyla looked down at Shariah. She was, for once, not staring at him: she was gathering tiny white flowers from the grass around her and weaving a long chain of blossoms. She was very nice, oh yes, and very pretty, definitely, wrapped in white linen and calico; practical and conventional and virginal.

But…

That was all.

_She'll come someday_, said a voice in his head. _Someone who doesn't adore every move you make, someone who isn't a silly little chit_.

The sun crossed the sky, and still Dyla worked. Shariah, having finally grown tired of him not speaking to her, rose from her place and wandered off to the stables to feed the cows. Dyla, finally alone, let out a sigh of relief. He finished the last row of shingles, and was done. He hopped down to inspect his work. Not bad.

He returned to the house, where Shariah was thankfully absent, and settled his affairs with her mother.

"You did a good job," said Shariah's mother, counting out rupees from her purse. "You should drop by again sometime. The girls would love to see you again."

Dyla tried to look enthusiastic. "Maybe," he said. "I do have a lot of work to do…"

"Oh, come now," said Shariah's mother, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You can't work _all_ the time."

That was true enough. He nodded. "Well, maybe I'll try."

"That's a good lad."

As Dyla left in the waning daylight, he felt like he had somehow put his foot directly into a bear trap.

. . -=-=-=-=-=_-*-_=-=-=-=-=- . .

"Hey, Lo," said Joelle, pulling her horse up beside Apollonia's.

"Yes, Jo?"

"I'll race you to the lake and back."

"Oh, now…" Apollonia gave Diamond a pat on the neck. "You really think you have a chance against my girl here?"

"I think so, if I do this." Without warning, Joelle dug her heels into Carnelian's sides. The palomino whinnied and took off running.

"Hey!" Apollonia didn't even have to nudge Diamond: she launched into a gallop after Joelle and Carnelian.

It was almost dusk. The sun was low in the sky, blinding Apollonia with yellow light, and all she could hear was the pounding of hooves on the ground below her. She squinted and urged Diamond forward. They were outside the bounds of Gerudo Valley now, heading towards Lake Hyrule. In front of her, Apollonia saw Carnelian leap over a length of broken fencing. She followed.

In a few moments, she was pulling up next to Joelle and her horse. "We can't go this way!" she shouted. "It's someone's farm!"

"Who cares?" laughed Joelle.

Well, there certainly didn't seem to be anyone around, except a few cows who looked up at the two passing Gerudos with faint interest. The horses' hooves tore up the dirt, and then as quickly as the field had begun, it ended. Apollonia held on tight as Diamond jumped another length of fence and landed hard on the ground.

There in the distance was Lake Hylia, shimmering gold in the dying light. Apollonia pushed Diamond forward, past Carnelian. Moments later, they reached the edge of the water, and Diamond came to a halting stop, nearly throwing Apollonia from her back.

Joelle trotted up beside her, still laughing. "You cheated!" she managed to gasp.

Apollonia couldn't help but grin at her. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. You've got a faster horse."

"You are _ridiculous_," said Apollonia. She leaned over, grabbed Joelle in a headlock, and mussed her curly hair. "Totally ridiculous, you know that?"

Joelle was half falling off her horse, but she couldn't stop giggling. "Quit it!"

Apollonia let her go, and they both tried to regain their composure. In a few minutes, they settled down –– Joelle let out a sigh and laid down on Carnelian's neck. "Isn't that pretty?" she said, nodding her head towards the purple sky about Lake Hylia.

"It's okay I guess," said Apollonia.

Joelle reached over and whacked her in the shoulder. "Come on," she said. "Be serious for a minute."

"Alright, alright. Yes, it is pretty." Apollonia scanned the area. No one lived by the lake anymore, though there was an old, dilapidated cottage on its western shore. The roof was already fallen in, and now the walls were crumbling. Next to it was a grove of walnut trees, and there –– Apollonia saw something. Or some_one_.

She reached out and gently took Joelle by the arm. "Look," she said, and pointed.

Joelle peered into the distance. "Someone's there," she said.

There _was_ someone there, among the trees. A man, it looked like, wandering around. Probably not a Zora, since they spent most of their time in the water. A Hylian.

"Let's get out of here," said Apollonia.

"Right."

Apollonia was about to turn Diamond around and head back to the valley, but she took another look at the figure in the distance. He was trying to find a tree to sit under. He glanced over at the sunset, and for a moment Apollonia could see his features more clearly. It looked like… him.

"Uh… maybe we should… split up," she said to Joelle.

Joelle cocked her head and stared at her. "Why?"

"I don't know," said Apollonia. "I just have a feeling that there might be more of them. I'll take the long way around and meet you back at the valley. Okay?"

"Lo, I don't ––"

"Come on, just humor me."

"Alright, alright." Joelle gave Carnelian a kick in the ribs, and they headed back the way they had come. Apollonia, in turn, followed the curve of the lake around to the grove of walnut trees. She kept Diamond reined back, hoping that the Hylian wouldn't notice them.

The closer she got, the more she could see. It was definitely him –– and he was distracted. Apollonia left Diamond a few hundred yards away and snuck closer on foot. She pulled her veil far up over her face so only her eyes were exposed. She crept behind one of the larger trees and peered around the trunk at him. The Hylian had a book in his hands, and he seemed to be reading peacefully as the birds sang their twilight song all around them. He turned a page, and the glide of paper-on-paper sounded like something rustling in the leaves.

Apollonia crept closer and closer, and still the Hylian didn't notice anything. She hooked one leg over the lowest branch of the nearest tree and slithered into the grove's canopy. Balanced among the limbs, she could see everything.

For a while, she just observed him. He looked a lot like all the other Hylians she had ever seen, just younger. He had those strange pointed ears, like the rest of them, and messy hair, brown as mud. His rusty-colored cloak obscured most of his body, but Apollonia could see his arms protruding from under the fabric. They were sturdy workman's arms, capable and can-do. Apollonia leaned in, trying to see what the Hylian was reading, but the words were too small.

In her haste to get closer, one of the smaller branches underneath her knee snapped. She bit back a curse and held on tightly to the trunk of the tree.

The Hylian's head shot up. He glanced around like a startled deer –– left, right, over his shoulder; every direction but straight up.

Apollonia couldn't let this go on much longer. "Hey," she said aloud.

The Hylian dropped his book and scrambled to his feet. "Is someone there?" he said.

"No, it's the trees talking to you." Apollonia dropped to the ground and landed silently on her slippered feet. Now she was at eye level with the Hylian. "It's just me."

"Just who?" said the Hylian, still on the alert.

Apollonia paused. "_Me_."

"Who is _me?_" he insisted. He was rooted to the spot, staring straight at her.

To her surprise, she felt herself blushing behind her hood and veil. "Apollonia," she said softly.

"Well, I couldn't tell with that thing over your face," said the Hylian, pointing to her hood.

"Oh, come on," she said. "If I were any other Gerudo, by now you'd be either dead or unconscious and even poorer than you are now." She studied him for a moment. He didn't seem amused. "What's your name again?"

"I thought you'd remember," said the Hylian.

"Sincerest apologies. You Hylians all look the same to me."

"I could say the same thing about you."

Apollonia smiled to herself. She knew the Hylian's name, really she did. "Dyla," she said.

"That's right." He bent over wearily and picked up his book from amongst the leaves. "So, should I ask why you were spying on me?"

"I wasn't spying," said Apollonia. She clasped her hands behind her back and wandered closer. "I was out with my friend and we happened to see you. Well, _I_ happened to see you."

Dyla eyed the lake with a worried glance. "Your friend, huh?"

"Don't worry, she's gone," said Apollonia. "She's headed back to the valley right now, and she thinks I am too. But I just wanted to say hello before I left." She lifted her hand in a wave. "Hello."

Dyla blinked. "Is that all?"

"I guess it is. Anyway, I should probably head back now."

"Should you?" said Dyla. "I mean, since you went to all this trouble to get my attention."

"You want me to stay?" said Apollonia.

Dyla shrugged.

"Well… maybe just for a minute." She glanced over at the sky, which was afire with red and orange by now. "It's a pretty nice evening, don't you think?"

"It is," said Dyla. He returned to his place under the tree and rested his back against the trunk.

Apollonia trotted up beside him and snatched his book out of his hands. "What are you reading?" she said, fluttering through the pages.

Dyla gently pried the book out of her fingers. "You should ask before you take things," he said.

Apollonia laughed. "You're talking to a Gerudo, boy," she said.

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting." For a moment it looked as though he was going to continue reading his book, but he closed it and looked up at her. "You _are_ a Gerudo, aren't you?"

Apollonia blinked. "Uh, yeah. Of course."

"Then… maybe you shouldn't be talking to me like this."

"Like what?"

"So… casually. Don't they frown on things like this?"

"_They_ don't have to know everything," said Apollonia, plopping down on the grass next to Dyla. She pulled her legs into a knotted position and rested her elbows on her knees. "Besides, you're a good kid. You're not going to try and pull anything."

"And that's another thing," said Dyla. "Where do you get off calling me a _kid?_"

"Oh, don't get your leggings in a bunch," said Apollonia. "It's just a term of endearment. You're not an old man, that's for sure."

Dyla raised an eyebrow at her. "You're younger than me."

Apollonia chuckled. "Am I?"

He blinked. "Are you?"

"How old do you think I am?"

Dyla thought for a moment. "Twenty," he said.

"That's ridiculous. In that case I would have had three daughters by now."

"Really?"

"Maybe not _three_. Two."

"Well. Then you seem mature for your age, however old you are."

"Thanks, I guess," said Apollonia. She paused. "So you must be twenty."

Dyla smiled, only slightly. "Good guess," he said.

Despite herself, Apollonia smiled, too. She pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned towards him. "Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Sure."

"What are you doing out here, all alone?"

Dyla considered this for a moment. "I like peace," he said. "It's peaceful here."

"Peace seems pretty boring," said Apollonia. "You said you lived in the castle town, right? Why, if I lived there, I'd be hitting the tavern every night. You wouldn't be able to stop me."

"I've been there before," said Dyla. "If you ask me, it's overrated."

Apollonia studied him. "Well, do you go alone?"

"Yeah. I guess I do."

"That's your problem," said Apollonia. "It's really no fun unless you bring someone along –– or meet up with someone while you're there, I guess. You know?"

"How is it that you know so much," asked Dyla, "when I've never seen a Gerudo outside of the valley?"

Apollonia laughed. "You're seeing one now, aren't you?"

She had him there. He only grinned at her.

"But really –– you haven't answered my question. What are you doing out here all alone?"

"I don't really know. Reading, I guess."

"Don't you have friends?" asked Apollonia.

"Of course I do. I don't seem them all the time, though."

"Are you married?"

Dyla chuckled. "No," he said. "Certainly not married."

"_Courting_ anyone?" she asked, batting her lashes like she had seen Priya do with Ganondorf.

This seemed to take Dyla aback, and his smile fell. "No, not that either," he said. "Most of the time, I'm too busy."

"I see," said Apollonia, though somehow it didn't seem right to her. From all the Hylians she had ever seen, Dyla wasn't ugly or anything. Sort of plain, maybe, but pleasant to observe as long as she ignored his freakishly long ears.

"Now it's my turn to ask a question," said Dyla.

"Shoot."

"Is it true that all Gerudo are women? No men?"

"Just the one," said Apollonia. "There's always one."

"Gee. Does that mean..." He stopped himself, and shook his head. "Never mind."

"What?" Apollonia leaned in closer. "What is it?"

"Never mind, I shouldn't ask such things."

"I know what you're thinking," said Apollonia, raising an eyebrow at him. "You're wondering how that one man gets born. How _any_ of us get born. Is that right?"

"Well... yes," admitted Dyla.

"Simple," said Apollonia. "The sole male –– whoever he may be –– is a busy, busy man."

At this, Dyla laughed, then silenced himself quickly. "That's what I was afraid of," he said.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," said Apollonia. "It's no different than, say, bees, or wolves." She paused. "I feel strange saying that, though."

"It is strange," said Dyla.

"Well, to us, _you're_ the strange ones," said Apollonia. "Why are there so many Hylian men running around when only a few will do the job just fine?"

Dyla thought about this. "Well, men are needed to be farmers and soldiers and things like that. They have to run things."

"Women can do that, too," said Apollonia. "Don't they?"

"Sometimes."

Apollonia shook her head. "Strange folk, you Hylians," she said, and stood up. "Almost as strange as those fish people."

Dyla said nothing, but just shook his head, looking amused.

"I guess I'd better get going," said Apollonia. "Joelle will be wondering where the hell I've gotten to."

"Joelle?"

Apollonia knew she shouldn't have said her name, but it was too late now. "My friend," she said shortly. "Anyway –– bye." With that, she took off through the woods, back to where she had hidden Diamond. To her surprise, there was another horse there, as well. Dyla's, it looked like; the one she had named Peridot. Diamond and Peridot were eating from the same patch of grass, both of them acting as if the other didn't exist.

"Get out of here," said Apollonia, shooing Peridot away. Peridot raised his head and seemed to glare at her, but ambled off to a different patch of grass.

As Apollonia climbed into Diamond's saddle, she heard someone come stomping through the brush behind her. She turned and saw Dyla, book in hand, approaching. "Thought I'd leave, too," he said. "No use in trying to read when the sun's gone."

Apollonia looked toward the horizon. Indeed, the sun had disappeared behind the distant trees, and all was awash in purple-blue light. "Sure you'd not just following me?" she asked.

Dyla mounted his own horse and grinned at her. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said. "Every time I go into that little valley of yours, something bad happens."

"Dead right you are," said Apollonia, picking up Diamond's reins.

Dyla steered Peridot over to her. "Thanks, by the way, for not killing me this time."

"Think nothing of it," said Apollonia.

Suddenly Dyla's face fell, and he looked off towards a spot behind her. "What's that?" he said, concern in his voice.

"What? What is it?" Apollonia turned to look, but she didn't see anything right away, just the darkening walnut grove. She was about to turn back to Dyla when she felt something strange on the side of her face –– something warm and wet. She whirled around just in time to see Dyla backing away. He was grinning at her. The bastard had kissed her!

Apollonia did the only thing she could think of: she reached out and smacked him across the face. He was lucky he didn't fall off his horse, but he did lurch backwards, catching himself at the last moment.

"Don't _do_ that!" exclaimed Apollonia, and she kicked her heels into Diamond's side. The horse broke into a run.

The bastard! The _bastard!_

But, after only a few seconds, Apollonia was overcome with guilt. _Well... he probably didn't _mean _to do it. You shouldn't have just wailed on him like that_. She brought Diamond back around, and slowed her to a walk.

Dyla was still in the same place at the edge of the grove, his hand held up against his no-doubt stinging cheek. Apollonia approached him, her head bowed. He said nothing, only stared at her. He didn't seem angry, really –– just shocked.

"Sorry," she said.

"That's okay," Dyla replied. "I just wanted to see what would happen."

Apollonia blinked. "What? You did?"

"Yeah," said Dyla. He lowered his hand: his cheekbone was red and sore-looking. "You know, I figured that with only one man to go around, some of you Gerudo must swing the other way. Just checking to see if you were one of them."

"Why, of all the..." began Apollonia, though she couldn't figure out why something like that made her so angry. Of course some of the Gerudo were like that, but _she_ wasn't. Still atop her horse, she grabbed Dyla by the collar and yanked him towards her, crushing his mouth against her. It didn't seem like a particularly sexy thing to do, and for a moment Apollonia couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Then, when Dyla started kissing back, she knew.

In a moment, she pulled away. Her face felt flush, and looking at Dyla, she could see that now both his cheeks were red. 'There," she said. "Does that convince you?"

"Absolutely," said Dyla.

Apollonia nodded, then lifted her hood and pulled her veil over her face. "We can't meet again," she said. "Promise me that."

"I promise," said Dyla.

Apollonia turned and rode off on Diamond, away from the grove, away from Dyla, away from the terrible and confusing mess she had just made for herself. _Well, luckily, we're not going to meet again_, she told herself. _Never again_.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Apollonia raced back to the valley, but even on a horse as fast as Diamond, she couldn't escape the fact that she had been gone far too long. Once she had crossed the bridge and entered the fortress proper, night had fallen and the guards had begun to light torches around the complex. Apollonia passed them all without comment and went straight for the stables.

Inside, Joelle was waiting. She stood against the wall, her arms folded, and watched as Apollonia entered sheepishly. She didn't even say anything as Apollonia began taking the saddle off Diamond –– she just watched calmly.

"You can say it," Apollonia finally said as she piled dry grass in Diamond's feed box.

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to harp on me for coming back late, aren't you?"

"I wasn't going to say that," Joelle said innocently. "But now that you mention it, it is a little funny, isn't it? What happened? I thought you were going to come straight back here."

"I took a detour," said Apollonia.

"You didn't go out and investigate whoever was across the lake, did you?" said Joelle, breaking her pose and approaching Apollonia with arms akimbo.

Apollonia shrugged. "I thought I might, but when I got there, he was gone."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" said Joelle. "Why are you suddenly looking for trouble all the time?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you do! You keep getting into situations with Hylians! What about that one you said you threw off the bridge, but then you didn't, and ––" Joelle threw her arms into the air. "I can't even keep track of it all anymore. Is something going on?"

"I don't know, Jo," Apollonia said, slamming the stall door shut. "I can't explain it."

Joelle let out a sigh. "Fine," she said. "See if I care." With that, she stomped out of the stable and probably all the way to her room.

Apollonia sighed too, and let herself fall into the mound of hay in the corner. What _was_ she doing? She didn't like lying to Joelle, but... she just kept on _doing_ it. She was lying to everyone. Sure, she was Gerudo, she was _bred_ to lie –– but it didn't feel right to keep deceiving her sisters like this. She knew she had to do something. But what?

…...

For two days Dyla thought about Apollonia, their conversation, and what she had done to him. Even as he went about his duty repairing shingles on the apothecary's roof, and his head was filled with the banging of his hammer on wood, he couldn't _not_ think of her and what she had said to him.

The Gerudo –– the way they lived, and _why_ –– fascinated him. He thought over the things Apollonia had told him. He could almost forget the absurdity of actually _talking_ to a Gerudo in such a casual manner. And the kiss. He didn't know what he had been thinking. The spirit had just caught him, he supposed, and he improvised. More surprising was her reaction –– and what she did after that. Dyla persuaded himself not to think about that, though. Apollonia said that they shouldn't meet again, and she was absolutely right. The sting of her slap reminded him of that.

Still...

Two days after their last encounter, Dyla had finished his work for the day and was walking back from the apothecary, he paused in front of the old tavern near the Town Square. Though it was only just before evening, there were already several men inside. Dyla could see them through the double doors that had been propped open to let in cooler air.

_You said you lived in the castle town, right? Why, if I lived there, I'd be hitting the tavern every night._

Dyla slung his pack over his back and went inside the tavern. The two open doors didn't help the atmosphere much; the air inside the building was stale and smelled of cheap wine. Through the dim light, Dyla could see a long bar at the back of the room, and a few wooden tables scattered around the rest of the space. The floor was stone, almost the same the street outside, and covered here and there with threadbare rugs.

The bartender, who was lounged against the bar fanning himself with a dishrag, straightened up when he saw Dyla. "Well, hello carpenter," he said. "Haven't seen you in here for a long time."

"I thought I'd stop in for a minute," said Dyla, approaching the bar. There was no place to sit at the bar, so instead he just dropped his pack to the floor and leaned like the other patrons were doing. There were three other men: Dyla recognized the nearest man as one of the market merchants, and the other the baker's assistant. The third, hunched over his drink at the far end of the bar, was too hidden for Dyla to identify. All three of the men were bigger than Dyla –– and a little taller, too. The merchant and the baker's assistant both looked over at him, but said nothing.

"Can I get you something, carpenter?" asked the bartender.

"Sure," said Dyla. He thought for a moment, trying to think of a suitable drink. He didn't like wine, nor ale, nor anything like that. "I will have... one milk," he finally said.

The merchant stared at him, then laughed. "Don't go _too_ crazy, lad," he said, and smacked Dyla hard on the shoulder. The baker's assistant chuckled.

Dyla smiled too, as if he was in on the joke, but said nothing.

"Milk it is," said the bartender. He poured some of the frothy white liquid into an old canning jar and set it in front of Dyla. Dyla tasted the milk: not as fresh or as good as the kind he used to have back in Kakariko Village. But then again, no one could expect the bar to keep a cow in the back room.

As he drank, he listened to the baker's assistant speaking to the merchant about some issue the bakery was having. "All our wheat's coming in just fine, sure," he was saying, "but the Cuccos from the farm next to ours keep comin' in and eating it! And the farmer says it's not _his_ fault what his Cuccos do!"

The merchant shook his head. "You think _you_ have it bad –– well, I was supposed to get in a shipment of goods from down south, and the wagon was ransacked by a bunch of bandits! We could have lost the whole lot of it, if the soldiers hadn't gotten there in time."

"Pity," said the baker's assistant.

Dyla sensed a pause in the conversation –– a place where he could cut in. "Pardon me," he said, and both the men turned to look at him. "Any idea who the bandits were? They weren't... Gerudo, were they?"

The merchant seemed surprised by this. So did the baker's assistant –– and the bartender was listening now, too. "No, lad, they weren't; just some ruffians. Half of them are locked away now. For the love of Nayru, if it had been _Gerudo_, not only would we have lost everything, everyone would be _dead_, too!"

"Oh. Well, that's fortunate," said Dyla. "Speaking of Gerudo, you don't happen to know anything about them, do you?"

The merchant stared at him with a puzzled expression. "Are you mad, kid?"

Dyla didn't like being called _kid_, but he brushed it off and continued, "You know, if anyone's ever met one, or talked to one, or anything like that."

"Why d'you wonder a thing like that?" asked the merchant.

Dyla shrugged. "I don't know, I just ––"

"You're crazy, carpenter," the baker's assistant cut in. "Sure, plenty of Hylians have met a Gerudo before, but they're all in their graves now."

"Don't you know anything?" said the merchant. "Do you think they're real creatures, with real souls? They're banshees. That's how they can slaughter so easily."

"Is that so?" said the baker's assistant, raising his eyebrow.

"That's what I hear," said the merchant. "Of course I've never seen one personally. Then I'd be dead."

"They're not banshees," the baker's assistant said, shaking his head. "My brother-in-law saw one once, from way across their valley. They're women, real women. Of course, they're _all_ women. There's no men, so they all lie with each other."

"In that case," the merchant said warily, "how do they keep from dying out?"

"They kidnap Hylian babies," said the baker's assistant.

Dyla nearly lost it –– he stifled his laughter by snorting into his milk glass. Was this really what the villagers thought of Gerudo? If only they knew how wrong they were.

"Something funny, lad?" asked the merchant, scrutinizing him with tiny eyes.

"Not at all," said Dyla. "I'm just wondering how everyone knows so much about the Gerudo when no one's met one."

"That's not exactly true," said a voice from behind them.

Everyone turned towards the man at the end of the bar, the one who had been slouching over his drink. He was wearing a brown cloak with covered his head and half of his face. He was looking at them now, and Dyla could see a deep brown eye peering out from the man's wrinkled face.

"What's not true, old man?" asked the baker's assistant.

"I've met Gerudo," said the old man. "Several of them, in fact. Contrary to popular belief, they don't _always_ leave their victims dead. Sometimes they just scare them a bit." Here he lowered his hood, and Dyla could see that the man wore a grungy kerchief wrapped around his head, covering one eye. "Sometimes they take something from you," he said, pointing to the bandaged eye, "in exchange for your silence."

An uncomfortable silence had fallen over the bar. No one said anything until Dyla asked, "What happened?"

"A month or so ago," said the old man, "a band of those Gerudo women stole nearly all the fortune I'd amassed over the last decade. Came in and took it, and took my eye, too. I'm glad of it, too. It could have been my head."

The merchant, the baker's assistant, and the bartender all looked disgusted. "A bunch of harpies, all of them," said the merchant. "Someone ought to go into that desert of theirs and flush them out."

"You first," said the bartender.

Dyla knew he had had enough of this for one day. He pulled a few rupees from his pouch and set them on the counter. "This is fascinating and all, but I must be going," he said.

"Hey, come back anytime," said the merchant, "and maybe have _two_ glasses of milk next time." They laughed.

"And watch out for those Gerudo!" added the baker's assistant.

Dyla felt nauseated as he left the tavern. Maybe it was from drinking milk on a hot day, or maybe it was because of what had happened to the old man. Stories about banshees and stealing babies was one thing when no one could back up their own wild accusations, but it was hard to deny something like a missing eye. Dyla tried to picture Apollonia the way she was when they had first met: cloaked in black and purple; furious, vicious; scowling at him and ready to cut his throat, only because he had wandered into the outskirts of their territory. Was that how the rest of the Gerudo were? Because Apollonia didn't seem like that now.

He pondered this as he returned to his house. Though he had promised he wouldn't, he desperately wanted to see her again. And he was determined to figure out a way.

…...

Nearly a week after the incident in the walnut grove, Apollonia prepared herself for a trip into the desert. She waited until dusk to leave. At night the desert air was cooler, and she wouldn't have the sun beating down on her as she made the long walk. The only downside to that, of course, was that she wouldn't be able to see as well where she was going. The desert got awful dark, and she couldn't bring a torch with her –– the wind would put it out in moments.

First she braided her hair, then wound it behind her head so it wouldn't blow free and become dry and tangled. Then she put on a long, airy shift that nearly touched the ground, and covered her head with her hood. Over all of that went her long scarf, pulled up over her mouth and nose to keep the dust out.

With a small pack of supplies and water, Apollonia went to the huge gate at the back of the fortress. Atop a nearby tower, a Gerudo waved at her, then disappeared from sight. In a moment, the gate shuttered, then rose from the ground, creaking, just far enough for Apollonia to slip underneath. Seconds later, once she was on the other side, the gate came crashing back down with a definitive _slam_. From here on out, there was no turning back.

Her feet sunk into the sand with each step she took, slowing her down. Using Diamond would have been impossible. Because of this, the trip across the desert usually took a whole night to complete. That gave Apollonia a lot of time to think.

She tried to keep her mind on productive things as she walked –– her sister Aelishae, for instance. They had trained for hours yesterday with the bow and arrow. Aelishae was only just learning, and Apollonia wasn't that good to begin with, so there were many mistakes and much helpless laughter as they practiced in the shooting range. Now Aelishae was tucked safely away in her bed, probably dreaming about slaying monsters.

Apollonia thought, too, about Joelle. Ever since their argument in the stables, she hadn't said much to Apollonia. Sure, she was still courteous –– in a cold sort of way –– but it pained Apollonia not to be able to tell her the truth about what had happened in the last few months. _Well, that's the way it has to be_. They were stubborn, the both of them, and Apollonia supposed that neither of them wanted to be the first to apologize.

The violet-black desert stretched out in front of her like an eternity. All she could do was keep walking. The winds blew in gusts, swirling up dust, so Apollonia was forced to squint her eyes, even though she could hardly see through the darkness anyway. Despite all her layers, sand still crept through her shift and into her shoes. _Onward, just keep onward_.

Hours later, long after Apollonia's mind had blanked and settled into the rhythm of the desert winds, she saw a ridge in the distance. A huge indeterminate shape rose up from it, but she knew it was the temple. Her heart always perked up when she saw it –– it meant that her long journey was was almost over.

The sun had begun to rise at the Eastern border of the desert as Apollonia reached the temple. Now she could clearly see the gigantic figure carved into the massive slab of rock that formed the front of the temple: the stoic-faced Goddess of the Sand, her hands held out as if beckoning. Guays flew in the air above her, cawing and warning each other of the intruder in their territory.

Here the desert winds weren't so terrible, so Apollonia lowered her hood and took a much-needed drink of water from her supply. Weary, she climbed the two sets of steps in front of the temple and entered the monumental structure with her eyes lowered in respect.

Inside the temple, away from the bright, reflective sand, Apollonia's eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness. Her ears roared, trying to cope with the sudden silence inside, away from the fierce desert winds. As shapes became clear, she was flooded with the memories of entering this temple hundreds of times before. Even when she was a little girl, Apollonia came here and explored while her mother reflected silently in the heart of the temple.

Her mother, Varsha, was around here somewhere. She had retired to the temple years ago to be an attendant, ever since she insisted she was too old to be of any use around the fortress anymore. Of course, Apollonia didn't believe that, but when Varsha had decided something, it was done. Now Apollonia set out to find her, feeling a little guilty that it had been so long since her last visit.

Deep in the temple, where the other great statue of the Desert Goddess resided, Apollonia saw a woman sitting cross-legged on a worn cushion, head tilted up toward the Goddess but her eyes closed. Her mother.

Apollonia approached, trying to step quietly, but the padding of her feet on the floor invaded the silence anyway. Varsha opened her eyes and turned. When she saw Apollonia, her face broke into a grin. "Lo," she said, and stood up from her cushion. Varsha's figure was thin and willowy from years of fasts and a lack of sun had drained some of the color her skin. Still, her amber eyes were bright, and –– though it was just a tiny bit blasphemous to do so in front of the Goddess –– she went over and embraced her daughter tightly.

"Sorry I haven't been around," Apollonia began, but Varsha waved away the excuse.

"From what I've heard, you girls have been busy," she said. "Don't worry one bit about it."

Varsha's hair hung loose behind her head, still deep red at the tips but turning silver and white at her temples. Unlike the other Gerudo, who always kept themselves stained and painted, Varsha had given up trying to dye her hair when the gray came. "What brings you here? Any news from the fortress? Oh, but let's go sit down somewhere. You must be tired."

Apollonia nodded gratefully. "Yes, please." The long walk always drained her strength.

Varsha bowed in front of the Desert Goddess before ushering Apollonia to the sleeping chamber at the back of the temple. There were several beds –– and dozens of pillows –– in this room, but right now Varsha was the only one using it. The two women rested on cushions while Apollonia told Varsha about everything going on in the fortress: their recent raids, Aelishae's progress at the training grounds, little things like that. Varsha nodded through all of it, uninterrupting, probably just grateful to hear a Gerudo's voice. It made Apollonia feel even more guilty –– Varsha was alone most of the time, so she didn't even have much to share with Apollonia short of _I sat and prayed today_. But that was her choice.

Once they were caught up, Varsha offered Apollonia a bed for a while so she could get some sleep, which she did. When she woke, it was midday. The good thing about being a Gerudo was that she didn't need much sleep to return to normal, and after a few hours, Apollonia felt refreshed and aware again.

Apollonia let her mother go about her duties, checking the various rooms in the temples for stray guays or rats and generally keeping everything tidy. In the meantime, Apollonia shuffled around the chamber of the Desert Goddess, too restless to sit and reflect like she was supposed to. She stared up at the Goddess, who, from Apollonia's vantage, seemed impossibly huge and disproportionate. If only she were able to get up to the upper floors of the temple, maybe Apollonia would be able to see the statue properly, but those passages were always locked.

Apollonia sighed and plopped down on a cushion. There _was_ another reason she had come this far other than to visit her mother. She had tried to keep her mind off of it while she walked, but Apollonia couldn't help thinking of it now: the Hylian. The one she had vowed not to see again. _Dyla, his name is Dyla. Start calling him by his name._

No, if she gave him a name, she might get too attached to him. Again and again in her mind she went over her stupid actions. Kissing him like that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She couldn't talk to Joelle –– she was liable to blab to someone that Apollonia was fraternizing with a Hylian. Now, Varsha... she was so far away from the fortress that it might not matter too much. Who would she tell? The rats?

All Apollonia had to do was figure out how to bring up the subject. So far, her mind was a blank.

_When in doubt, reflect_. Apollonia crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and tilted her head up to the goddess just like she had seen Varsha do. _Okay, Goddess. What should I do about this Hylian business?_

She waited for a response, but there was nothing. Cautiously, Apollonia opened one eye. The Desert Goddess stood as silent as always, arms outstretched, palms up.

"Oh... _forget_ this," said Apollonia, and went off to find her mother.

Varsha was at the front of the temple, sweeping out the sand that had accumulated just inside the door. She smiled as Apollonia approached. "What are you up to, Lo?"

"I was just... reflecting," said Apollonia. "Sort of."

"Well, that's a start," said Varsha, sweeping another pile of sand out the door. As she did so, a gust of wind came, bringing in another cloud of dust with it. Varsha sighed. "Now here's a job that will never be done."

"Can I help?"

Varsha considered this. "Perhaps if you get the sand out of the corners. That would be helpful."

Apollonia retrieved another worn-out straw broom from her mother's quarters and went to work digging piles of sand from the corners of the entrance chamber. The two women worked silently for a few minutes, neither of them looking at the other, focused on their tasks.

When it seemed like long enough had passed, Apollonia spoke up. "Mother? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"I was wondering... have the Gerudo always been so solitary? The whole lot of us, I mean."

"We live in the desert, Lo," said Varsha. "No one else in Hyrule does that."

"Yes, but has it always been that way? I suppose I mean..." Apollonia tried not to sound _too_ invested in her question: "Have any of the Gerudo ever been friendly with, oh, I don't know, a Hylian or something?"

Varsha frowned. "I don't know why one would want to," she said. "They're Hylians." She spoke the word as though it tasted bad in her mouth.

"I know, I know. But we speak their language, don't we?"

"Perhaps _they_ speak _our_ language, Lo," said Varsha. "Did you ever think about that?"

As a matter of fact, Apollonia hadn't. "That's beside the point," she said. "Don't you think that in our thousands of years being here, one of us must have talked to a Hylian at some point?"

Varsha turned to look at her. "I think I know what you're getting at, Apollonia," she said.

Apollonia felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. "You do?" she asked.

"Yes," said Varsha. "You're referring to Lord Ganondorf, aren't you?"

Apollonia hadn't given Ganondorf a single, solitary thought in ages. "Yes, I suppose so," she said. _What?_

Varsha sighed. "I knew that someone else would notice sooner or later," she said. "Sire is always speaking about the Hylians –– talking about allying with them or some nonsense. That's something his father would have never done."

This was the first Apollonia had heard of such a thing. "He's always taking about it?" she asked. "How do you know that, when you're all the way over here?"

For a moment Varsha seemed caught off guard. Then she said, "I _was_ supposed to keep silent on this, I suppose, but Lord Ganondorf has been visiting the temple quite often. I don't know why anyone should care –– in fact, I think it's a _good_ thing that our king takes such an interest in the spiritual ––"

"But what kind of alliance?" asked Apollonia. "Doesn't he know that we _rob_ from the Hylians? They might not _want_ to ally with us."

"I don't know," Varsha said wearily, and picked up her broom again. "You should trust him, Apollonia. He's our leader, and he knows what's best for us. Right?"

Apollonia could only nod at this, and went back to sweeping. Her mother, too, had fallen into silence. All the other Gerudo were enamored by Ganondorf. _He's our leader... he knows what's best for us_. Apollonia didn't buy it –– there was something strange about him. Even though they were nearly the same age, he _acted_ older. Maybe it was because he had been idolized by hundreds of women since the day he was born. From what she gathered, not even the previous king –– her father, and Ganondorf's, and the father of dozens of the other girls –– had been so revered. _Their father_. She barely remembered the previous king; she had been so young when he died. She constantly had to remind herself that Ganondorf was her half-brother. So what? If she had any other brothers, she wouldn't think any more of them, either. What was he, after all? A man. And what was every other man a Gerudo had encountered? Useless.

All this fuming about Ganondorf had made Apollonia forget completely about Dyla, and she didn't think of him again until much later, after the work was done. She hadn't gotten an answer out of Varsha about whether Gerudo were ever friends with Hylians –– and Apollonia was too scared to try asking again. It was just too dangerous a thing to ask.

She would just have to consider the trip a bust, and return home answerless.

…...

That evening, Apollonia packed up her things, hugged her mother goodbye, and dressed once more for the desert. Her heart felt heavy as she made her way back to the front of the temple, and her feet dragged against the sandy floor.

As Apollonia walked down the hall past closed doors, she heard faint voices. One was a woman's; the other, a man's.

Apollonia's heart jumped. A man. Either it was an intruder, or Ganondorf. For a moment, Apollonia seriously hoped that it was an intruder. That, at least, she could fight off. But as she approached the end of the hall, she saw that one of the doors was slightly ajar. Apollonia slowed and then paused in front of the open door. She peered inside.

It was dark, except for the light of a single torch near the door. She could smell the fuel burning. Inside, a large, dark figure stood. Ganondorf, for sure. He was speaking to a smaller, curvier figure –– the woman. It took a moment for Apollonia to realize it, but soon she could tell from the Gerudo's shining violet eyes ,and hair more brown than red, that it was Zephyra. Apollonia hadn't seen her in ages, not since their last raid.

What were they both doing here?

Zephyra was speaking too low for Apollonia to discern any words. Then, suddenly, Zephyra's eyes flickered, and she turned to look at the door. Ganondorf did the same.

No doubt they saw Apollonia, but she was so wrapped up in drab cloth that they wouldn't be able to recognize her –– unless they could tell from just her eyes. Swiftly, Apollonia left the door behind and fairly ran the rest of the way down the hall.

It was a relief to enter the hot desert air and get away from the stuffiness from the temple, but even as Apollonia left the Goddess of the Sand behind, her mind was filled with questions. What were they doing there? How long had they been there? Were they speaking about the Hylians? Or maybe about the temple? Could they tell it was her, spying on them? No, she wasn't spying.

It didn't matter. _Stop thinking about it_, she told herself as she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and started the slow trudge through the sand, all the way back to the fortress.

_Desert Goddess, help me_.


End file.
